Lady Akhana: Bad news everyone! The penguins are trying to get into the government!
Cloud Dragon: Penguins in politics? Everyone feel free to insert their politician joked here.
Moonlady: No time, we need to bring them down!
Imp Is Insane: How are they going to try to pull this off?
Gema J. Gall: Kerry.
All: Kerry?!
Gema J. Gall: Yup. He's getting his campaign finances from his wife, who is part pf the Heinz family.
Diamond Lance: That does it! I say we sic Demon Child and Fox Demon on him.
Demon Child: Yay! My piranha bunnies can have fun!
Fox Demon: More shadow foxes! Yippies!
E-100 Alpha: Well, it would get them out of the base…
Pharaoh Light: There's more, we have targeted the leader's position.
Pharaoh Dark: And we need a recon unit to go in and bring xlooks at Demon Child and Fox Demonx alive!
Dark Fox: There's no fun in that!
Star: Send the torture-crazy people after Kerry. He's a politician, he should be able to handle it.
Bakurakrazie: Did someone call my name?
Livi: I want to bring down Nightmare Penguin! I want to bring down Nightmare Penguin! I want to bring down Nightmare Penguin! I want to bring down Nightmare Penguin!
Seadragon1012: We get the idea…
Lady Akhana: We need our most stealthy members for that mission, that means Black Belt Timmy, Master of Dimensions, and Demon of Shadows.
Those three: Yay!
All others: No fair!
Moonlady: Don't worry, there's still more.
Demon of Shadows: Really? What?
Gema J. Gall: Alpha and I have pin-pointed another penguin attack, this one against us!
Phantom 1: What are they doing?
Alpha: It's ff.n's new rule about author comments. That is clearly an attempt to stop our meetings!
Imp is Insane: They infiltrated ff.n?!
Diamond Lance: Looks that way.
Star: Send a unit there too! Pharaohs Light & Dark, are you ready?
Pharaohs Light & Dark: Yes ma'am!
Demon Child Kantel: I want to go with them!
Master of Dimesions: No, you have a politician to torture.
Demon Child: Oh…YAY!
Livi: We could just give Gema hot cocoa and turn her loose.
All: NOOO!!!
Bakurakrazie: Let's get these plans into action before we get found out!
Seadragon1012: Or before we get overrun with shadow foxes, or Gema finds hot cocoa, or…
Phantom 1: No more pessimism! May the mustard be with us!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe group was walking around downtown Domino. They had passed most of the businesses and were now getting into the warehouse district. Kaiba and Mokuba were in the front and no one else seemed to be in too big of a hurry to catch up. Yu-Gi was trailing a bit of a ways behind them, talking with Joe, Téa, and Kevin as they went. Duke and Serenity were behind them, Duke trying to cheer Serenity up. She was still taking Tristan's loss hard. Drake and Lara were in the rear, looking for dangers.
"Poor Tristan," sighed Serenity. "It's not fair…"
"Don't worry," Yu-Gi said to her. "The Big 5 said they had him in some type of virtual holding area. We just have to find him before they take control of his body."
"Then his mind will be trapped somewhere in cyber-space!"" Joe exclaimed. "We need to get him back and now!" Serenity nodded.
"I don't think that their holding place would be anything they would let us find," commented Kevin.
"Kevin! Try to be optimistic here!" scolded Duke with a sideways glance at Serenity.
"I hope we find him soon so we can get out of here," said Drake.
"I agree," added Lara. "We won! So they have to let us go. Those are the rules!"
"They don't play by any rules, even their own," said Kevin.
"So much for optimism," replied Duke.
"I know we'll get out of here, somehow," said Téa.
Lara suddenly gasped and turned around.
"What is it?" asked Drake.
"I could have sworn I heard something behind us," she said.
"I don't see anyone."
"But I have this weird feeling like we are being watched," Lara replied.
"Hey guys, you're falling behind!" called Yu-Gi.
"Tell me again why we are following Kaiba," said Joe.
"Because we need to stick together," answered Yu-Gi.
"Then let him stick with us! He's been one pain after another," Joe snapped.
"I agree, he needs an attitude adjustment," added Kevin.
"Come on guys," protested Yu-Gi. "We are all in this together."
"It's Kaiba's feud with the Big 5 that got all of us into this mess to begin with," Drake reminded them.
"I seem to remember them having a bone to pick with Industrial Illusions," said Téa, off-handedly.
Drake muttered something under his breath, the word 'idiot' being distinguishable.
The Kaiba brothers turned down one of the large alleys between to boarded-up warehouses. The others were about to follow when a gasp from the back stopped them.
"I know we are being followed!" Lara exclaimed, looking frantically around.
"What are you talking about Lara?" asked Joe. "There is no one else here."
"Could just be one of Noah's tricks," said Kevin. "I wouldn't put anything passed him."
"No, I am certain. There is someone following us," replied Lara in a very serious tone.
Around the corner, the Kaibas were confronting the figure that had been following them. He was standing on the roof of one of the boarded-up garages. The figure looked familiar enough, but that was just another deception.
"Hello Kaiba," greeted Tristan in a voice that was not his own. He smiled evilly down at Seto Kaiba.
"Look Seto! It's Tristan!" exclaimed Mokuba, pointing.
Those words were barely out of his mouth when 'Tristan' jumped off of the roof, raising a thick, metal pole over his head. Kaiba barely had time to duck out of the way before 'Tristan' struck the ground where he had been standing.
"Woah! Look out!" Mokuba warned.
"Tristan! What are you thinking?!" demanded Kaiba, getting into a defensive position.
"My name's not Tristan and I'm thinking about revenge," answered 'Tristan' as he raised the pole again.
"Who are you?" demanded Kaiba.
"Your worst nightmare!" shot 'Tristan' who Kaiba had finally placed as Nesbit. Nesbit swung again. Kaiba leapt backwards and plucked the top card off of his deck. He threw it at Nesbit, aiming for his face, just like he did to the rare hunter. But Nesbit quickly raised the pole, deflecting it. Nesbit swung again at Kaiba, but Kaiba dodged it easily. Kaiba also dodged his next attack with the same agility.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxShayla leaned back in the cage she was in, listening to the fight from one of the many monitors surrounding her. She was starting to feel anxious again, but this time she wasn't primarily concerned about herself. She was worried about the others. Shayla had concluded that Noah wouldn't let anything happen to her for the moment, because he needed her for his mysterious plan.
She sat up straighter when one thing hit her. "You aren't playing by the rules again," she accused Noah.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, hardly paying any attention to her.
"You won't let us return to reality, even though we won our duels," she said. "But you also aren't letting Nesbit out of here."
Noah chuckled. "It sounds like you actually want him to escape to the real world with your friend's body."
Shayla ignored the comment. "You don't intend to let the Big 5 out of here either. You're just using them."
"They agreed to work for me, and they're doing just what I asked them," Noah shot back.
Shayla easily noticed how he dodged her accusation. Noah was beginning to pick up on the fact that she could figure out was going on regardless of whether he denied it or not. So he had taken to not answering, which was probably the only way he could keep any secrets around the scale-bearer.
"You're not going to keep your end of the deal though, are you?" asked Shayla. "You didn't keep it with us, so I guess it's not surprising that you don't keep it with them."
Typing was the only answer she got. Shayla knew she was right. That fact was far from comforting.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxKaiba ducked again as Nesbit swung. Nesbit had not yet been able to connect with Seto, but he didn't look like he was going to give up any time soon.
"Woah!" exclaimed Joe as the rest of the group rounded the corner.
"It's Tristan!" exclaimed Yu-Gi, sounding stunned.
"Tristan! I knew we'd track you down pal!" shouted Joe.
"Are you okay?" Serenity asked, oblivious to the glares Nesbit was giving them from behind Tristan's eyes.
"Why don't you kids run along?" snapped Nesbit.
"This doesn't seem right to me at all," said Kevin.
"It's not," agreed Drake.
"Wait a sec!" exclaimed Duke, who had put everything together the fastest. "You're not Tristan, you phony!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Joe.
"Wait Joe! I think he's right," commented Serenity when she noticed no kindness in Tristan's eyes.
"Yes, I've taken over your friend's body," admitted Nesbit. He turned back to Kaiba. "Now that that's over, I can take care of you!" He charged Kaiba again, swinging the pole.
Kaiba ducked, did a handspring, and picked up a pole, holding it in front of himself like a sword. Nesbit swung and there was a loud clang as the two pieces of metal hit. The one that Kaiba was holding flew through the air and hit the pavement with an echoing ring.
"Nice try!" laughed Nesbit.
"Why are you doing this?!" demanded Kaiba, sounding furious. He might have been unarmed, but he was still ready to fight.
"Interesting mess Kaiba got himself in," commented Drake, who was watching with his arms crossed and an amused expression on his face.
"Because you need to pay for what you did to me!" Nesbit shouted at Kaiba. "Good-Bye!"
He raised the pole again, aiming at Seto's head. But before he could attack and Kaiba could charge, a mechanical monkey jumped right onto Nesbit/Tristan's head, pulling his hair and poking him in the eyes.
"What's that?" asked Lara.
"I've seen enough," grumbled Joe, racing forward.
"Wait! Come back!" Duke called after him.
Nesbit had managed to get his hands around the monkey. He pulled back and threw it into a wall. Then he turned to renew his attack against Kaiba.
Joe got to him first. "This is getting too weird!" he yelled as he charged Nesbit, throwing him through the boarded-up doors of the abandoned garage.
"Joe! It's still Tristan's body!" scolded Téa, giving him the ever-famous what-an-idiot look. Serenity nodded in agreement and gave her brother a harsh look before following Téa into the garage. "Hello?" A pair of bright headlights responded to her.
"Pardon me!" snapped Nesbit, charging out of the garage on a green motorcycle he had found. Téa and Serenity screamed and hurried out of the way to avoid being flattened.
"SETO!" cried Mokuba, noticing his older brother was right in the path of the vehicle.
Kaiba dodged the incoming vehicle as easily as he dodged all of Nesbit's other attacks. But Nesbit was no longer targeting him. The computer nerd charged pass Kaiba, turned, and swept Mokuba right off of the street.
"Help!" cried Mokuba as he struggled against his newest captor.
"Kaiba! I now have taken something form you, so we're even now!" Nesbit called back as he tore down the shipping docks.
"Come back right now!" growled Kaiba, furiously.
"Too late! He's gone!" exclaimed Joe.
"That scum-bag!" exclaimed Kevin. "Mokuba is just a kid!"
"No!" cried Téa.
"Mokuba!" called Yu-Gi.
The group hurried after Nesbit on foot. But he had broken through a road-out sign, jumped down several feet, and was speeding away down a long, underground tunnel.
"We lost him," said Lara, sadly.
The sound of a bike revving up behind them caused them all to turn around. Then, they all had to jump to the side as Kaiba charged passed them on a bike he had found in the garage. He made the long jump down the loading dock and disappeared out of sight in the dark tunnel in hot pursuit of his brother's kidnapper.
"What now guys?" asked Yu-Gi after a few moments of stunned silence.
"Kaiba is after the fake Tristan, so we have to find out where the real one is," said Joe.
"Right," agreed Serenity with determination.
The robotic monkey walked up behind them and began to chatter away with digital monkey noises.
"It's the robot runt again," Joe commented, turning around.
The monkey made even more noises and started jumping and waving its arms.
"And I thought this virtual world couldn't get any weirder," said Drake, eyeing up the monkey.
"I don't trust this little rat," said Joe, glaring at it.
"It's a monkey, how dangerous can it really be?" asked Serenity as she took a step forward.
"Don't touch it serenity," cautioned Duke. "For all we know, this chimp could be a trap."
"Good point Duke," agreed Joe. "Maybe we should just take this guy apart."
"Well, this is the virtual world, and things are never what they appeared to be here," said Kevin.
"We can unscrew his head and take out his batteries," said Duke.
The robotic monkey began to screech all the louder and it's gestures became even more wild.
"Whatever it is, it can understand us," Lara pointed-out.
"Another good reason to recycle it," replied Duke.
"No way!" protested Serenity. "Don't you lay a finger on him!"
"What's the problem, Serenity?" asked her brother.
"This little guy risked his life to save Kaiba!" she exclaimed.
"I guess that's a good thing…" Joe trailed-off.
"Good thing? Not even in a virtual world can helping that egomaniac be a good thing," replied Drake.
"That's a good point," said Kevin.
"But why would Noah or the Big 5 send something that would help any of us?" asked Lara.
"It might be a trick to try to gain our trust," replied Duke.
Serenity gave them all looks a disbelief, "Look at him." She walked to the monkey and waved. "Hi."
The monkey made teary eyes and got a dopey expression that Tristan often wore.
"He's adorable," cooed Serenity.
She held out her arms and the monkey jumped right into them, beaming brightly.
"Just do me a favor okay, keep that thing out of my face," Duke said, coldly.
"Okay," agreed Yu-Gi. "We've got to get going guys. The Big 5 may have Tristan's body, but his mind has to be around here somewhere."
The monkey began to point furiously at itself while making chattering noises.
"Zip it!" snapped Joe, glaring at the monkey and making a fist. "I've got my eye on you, you robot varmint!"
"Joe stop!" protested Serenity, holding the robot close.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Hang on Mokuba," thought Kaiba as he sped down the highway bridge which was built right over the ocean. "I'll rescue you from these corporate sleezeballs."
But then the bridge rose sharply into the air. This was that area where boats passed through, and the bridge was up. Kaiba only hesitated for a moment, then he urged his bike to go even faster.
"This shouldn't be too tough," he thought.
The bike charged up the incline. At the very last moment Kaiba leaned back, urging the bike into a jump. Then, he was airborne. The jump was perfect. He landed nicely on the other side o f the bridge, not losing his balance for a moment. But he had barely gone any distance down this road when a dark figure stepped out in front of him.
(AN/ xdroolsx Several very good reason to become a Kaiba fangirl.)
"Hey you! Get out of the road!" called Kaiba, pulling his bike sharply to the left to avoid the stranger. The side of the bike scraped the ground and Kaiba bailed as it exploded.
Kaiba walked forward, glaring daggers at the person who was keeping him from rescuing his brother.
"So we meet again Seto Kaiba," smirked the stranger. He was wearing a long, dark violet trench coat that hid most of his form. A floppy hat covered most of his head. What the hat didn't cover was hid by what looked like a silver oxygen mask.
"Who are you?" growled Seto.
"How quickly we forget our old friends," replied the stranger.
"Enough! Where can I find Mokuba?" demanded Kaiba.
"If you ever want to find that brother of yours again, you have to make it pass me," replied the stranger, with the hint of a snarl in his voice.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxA semi-distant memory hit Shayla so fast she couldn't stop herself from gasping.
"What?" asked Noah. He sounded irritated, but this time he wasn't ticked at her and her constant question.
"These are the same nuts who were plotting murder before," she said in an audible whisper. She remembered the time she accidentally eavesdropped on two of the guards in the Duelist Kingdom. She was more than stunned by how low those people had sunk.
"Doesn't matter," replied Noah with a shrug. "What does matter is how they keep trying to bend my rules. Well, I won't allow it."
Just like that he was gone. Shayla could no longer sense his presence in the room. It was the same kind of trick Rudy liked to pull.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Stop right there, Nesbit," ordered Noah as he materialized in front of Nesbit's bike.
"Yes, Noah?" asked Nesbit, coming to a halt. Mokuba was in front of him, completely unconscious.
"What's going on?" Noah asked, icily.
"I've taken Seto's brother," replied Nesbit.
"I can see that, but why have you taken him?" asked Noah, impatiently.
"Simple, when I worked for Kaiba he took everything from me, so this is payback.
"This wasn't part of the deal Nesbit," snapped Noah. "You've broken my rules."
"But sir, what are you saying?"
"Give the boy to me."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Oh no!" Shayla groaned. She heard Mokuba's capture, and the worst part was she could not help. She was still listening to the various conversations via the surveillance system. Noah had not turned it off when he left. Either he forgot, but Shayla thought he had his own reasons for wanting her to know what was going on with the others.
The most confusing thing to the blind girl was how interested Noah was in her. Shayla knew Noah's primary target was Seto Kaiba. Mokuba was obviously the easiest way to get to him.
"Noah must have dragged Yu-Gi here because of his rivalry between Kaiba," thought Shayla. "But Noah is also very interested in Kaiba Corp., which must be why he dragged Drake here, since Drake is connected to Kaiba Corp.'s rival company Industrial Illusions. He must have brought the others here to use as bartering chips or pawns against them. Well, Noah does seem to have an eye for top-ranked duelists; that's probably why he went for Joe and maybe that new kid Kevin. Everyone else is just bait or something. But why is he interested in me? I'm not a top-ranked duelist, I'm not related to anyone here, I don't have any connections to any companies, and I'm not that close of a friend to anyone he's after. What is Noah planning? What does he hope to gain by keeping me here? I know it can't be the Millennial Items, and I can't think of anything else!"
She exhaled sharply in frustration, but no answer would present itself to her.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxNoah had Mokuba teleported to a large virtual living room. There was a green couch and two matching arm chairs, as well as two oak end tables. A lit fireplace was across from the couch. Above that was a screen that was showing Kaiba and the member of the Big 5 that had waylaid him. Mokuba was laying on the couch, still knocked out. Noah was standing nearby, looking rather smug.
"I know have the only two people Seto cares about in the world prisoner. There is no way he will be able to beat me!" Noah thought happily.
Mokuba groaned once and his eyes fluttered open. "Where am I?"
"You're with me," Noah answered.
"Noah! Stay away from me!" yelled Mokuba, cringing back on the sofa. "Wait 'til Seto finds out!"
"Seto? Ha! He won't be rescuing you any time soon," Noah replied mockingly.
"That's not true! My brother would not let anything happen to me," protested Mokuba.
"He's got his hands tied. See for yourself," Noah said as he gestured to the screen.
"Seto!"
"He'll have to make it passed my associate to rescue you."
"Is that one of the Big 5?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"I've been waiting to take you down for a long time," said the shrouded figure opposite of Kaiba.
"Bring it on," replied Kaiba, coldly.
"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"
"Well, it took me a minute but I recognize your voice, Lector. So lets get this duel over with," answered Kaiba.
"My sentiments exactly," replied Lector coyly. As he spoke a virtual database formed in front of Kaiba. "So select your new deck from the cards in front of you."
"Done," replied Kaiba as he slid his deck into place on his duel disk. "Now let's get this thing over with so I can save Mokuba."
"We can't start yet, you still have to select your Deck Master," Lector pointed-out.
"That's a no-brainer," said Kaiba, pulling the Lord of Dragons out of his deck and holding the card up. A holographic version of the Duel Monster formed behind him.
"And I have already taken the form of a Duel Monster. Can you tell which monster I've become?" asked Lector, a bit haughtily.
"I don't know and frankly I don't care," replied Kaiba. "Because crushing you will be a simple task regardless of your Deck Master. Let's begin!"
"It's time to duel, as they say," said Lector. "Don't expect any courtesy from me."
Kaiba replied with a long glare.
"I'll start this duel by playing on monster in defense mode," announced Lector. "Then, I set these two magic cards. Your move Mr. Kaiba."
"That's it?" asked Seto, who was clearly not impressed. "Then I'll summon Spear Dragon in attack mode!" His blue-green dragon formed right in front of him. Its stats were 1900 and 0. "This dragon will be more than capable of wiping out any monster you have played."
"You're so confidant aren't you Mr. Kaiba?" asked Lector arrogantly. "Then go ahead and attack me. My monster is in defense mode. My life points are well protected."
"You're wrong Lector," replied Kaiba, just as arrogantly. "You didn't do your research. Spear Dragon, attack his face down monster now!"
The Spear Dragon leapt into the air and nose-dived the face down card hologram. There was a bright flash of light and a monster formed for a moment before breaking into data.
"Ha! You just attacked Hiro's Shadow Scout and activated its special ability!" exclaimed Lector.
"Hiro's Shadow Scout?" echoed Kaiba.
"Yes, you must draw three cards from your deck and show them to me," explained Lector. Kaiba did so without a word. "Now you have to discard the two magic cards you drew." Kaiba slid them into his graveyard. Lector laughed. "This is only the beginning Mr. Kaiba, and soon….Hey! What happened to my life points?"
"Spear Dragon also has a special ability. I told you, you didn't do your research," replied Kaiba, smugly. "Spear Dragon has the power to inflict damage on your life points even if your monster is in defense mode." Lector loss 1400 life points, the difference in the amount of his monster's defense points and Spear Dragon's attack points. He now only had 2600 life points and it was just the first turn.
"I set this magic card face down and that will end my turn," said Seto Kaiba as a card hologram appeared behind his dragon.
"Then I'll activate Solemn Wishes before I start my turn," announced Lector, flipping up one of his cards. "This card will give me 500 life points at the start of my turn. So, I draw a card and that official starts my turn, increasing my life points." That gave him 3100 life points, recovering some of what he lost.
"Enjoy it while you can," thought Seto, venomously. "Because your next turn will be your last and then you will all pay for taking my little brother."
"I play one monster face down and end my turn," said Lector, setting one card on top of his duel disk.
"Strange, he must see that my Spear Dragon was switched to defense mode after it attacked, and that it has 0 def points, but why didn't he attack it?" wondered Kaiba.
"Is there a problem Mr. Kaiba?" asked Lector while Kaiba tried to figure out his strategy. "Because I'd appreciate it if you would make your move so I can defeat you and take over your body."
"In your dreams," retorted Kaiba. He drew his next card. "I summon Giant Germ to the field!" His newest monster looked like a hairball, but not in the cute Kuriboh way. The fuzz was spotty, a beneath it sick violet skin showed through. The skin was transparent and a nucleus could be seen inside. Its stats were 1000 and 100. "Then I switch my Spear Dragon back to defense mode."
"I activate my trap card, Mask of Perplexity," declared Lector.
Kaiba gasped as a brownish haze covered his eyes. "What is this?! I can hardly see!" he cried. Lector merely laughed.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"That's not fair!" protested Mokuba. He leapt to his feet, fist clenched, glaring at the screen that was showing the duel.
"This is hardly a duel worth watching," Noah said, smirking.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Time to make your attack, Mr. Kaiba, but I doubt you can see what your doing," said Lector, thoroughly enjoying the confusion his opponent was in.
"Spear Dragon," Kaiba started, but there was a slight waver in his voice. He pointed to a distorted shape on the field. "Attack that card!"
The Spear Dragon once again took to the sky and attacked the monster card Kaiba was pointing at. In a flash of light his own Giant Germ vanished. The haze vanished from Seto's eyes.
"Ha! You destroyed your own monster!"
"That's what I was aiming for you foolish old man!" replied Kaiba, wiping his eyes just to be sure. "Because now I can activate my face down card! Reveal Crush Card!"
His viral trap card flipped over, ready to decimate the bulk of Lector's deck. There was a small explosion. The Crush Card vanished from the field.
"What happened?!" demanded Kaiba.
Lector replied with a chuckle.
Kaiba looked at the field like the expert duelist he was and noticed none of Lector's face down cards had moved. "How can this be?! Do you have the power to destroy trap cards?" Seto's blue eyes went wide. "Now I know what monster you are, Lector! The only monster I know with the power to destroy trap cards. Jinzo!"
Lector threw of the trench coat he had been wearing and the hat with it. The silver gas mask was actually part of his face.
"You're in a tight spot Mr. Kaiba. All your trap cards are completely useless. Prepare to lose your body to me forever!" gloated Lector. The smirk was clear in his tone. "I've been waiting for this for quite some time Mr. Kaiba, for years I stood by and watched as you ascended to power. That position should have been mine! As your step-father's right hand man, I not only helped run Kaiba Corp., I helped raise you. And how did you repay me? By taking away everything I worked so hard to gain!"
"And how did I do that Lector?" asked Kaiba, who was sounding rather irritated.
"I was next in line to run Kaiba Corp. until you forced your way to the top! I'll never forgive you for that!" spat Lector. He started to remind Seto of everything he had done, of the past Kaiba was trying so hard to run from.
xFlashback, four years agox
"Seto, as of today your formal education is over," said Gozaburo at the dinner table one night. Seto looked back at him with narrow eyes. What he said seemed good, but Gozaburo never did anything good. "It's time for you to start learning lessons in the real world. Now I have something to give you. I think you'll be quite pleased with it." He picked up a bell that was laying next to his fork and rang it. The potato-shaped butler entered, wheeling a food trolley that was hidden under a sheet. "Hopsin, present Seto with his gift of ten million dollars."
Hopsin pulled off the sheet to reveal stacks of cash. The brothers both couldn't help but gasp. It was more money than they had ever imagined.
"Relax you two," said Gozaburo, almost in the tone one would use on a dog. "Everything in life comes at a price. Don't think I'm just handing this money to you." He leaved his gave at Seto across the table. "I'm lending you this small fortune as a test. "
"A test?" asked younger Seto, skeptically.
"That's right," continued Gozaburo. "You have exactly one year to return to money to me, is that clear? But you must pay me ten times that amount next year."
Once again, all the brothers could do was gasp.
"If you pass this test, you will prove to me that you have the business skills necessary to call yourself a Kaiba," Gozaburo said. "This is all explained in your contract. Pass and you earn the last name Kaiba. Fail and it's back to the orphanage." Hopsin placed a clip board with several sheets of printed paper in front of younger Seto.
After only a moment's thought, younger Seto replied, "I accept."
"A very wise decision on your part," said Gozaburo, not intending it to be a compliment. "My assistant Lector is the only one allowed to help you. You have one year to pass." Lector stepped forward from behind Gozaburo.
xxxxx
"What are you going to do Seto?" asked an eight-year-old Mokuba. "I mean, turning ten million dollars into a hundred million dollars in one year seems impossible." They were talking in Seto's room, with Lector watching. Young Seto had taken all of his Duel Monsters cards and lined them up in ten rows of ten. He was flipping them over, starting in the upper left corner and working his way down and over.
"Don't worry," replied young Kaiba. "See business is just another game. There are a hundred cards here, right? Now pretend each card represents a piece of a company."
"Yeah…" replied young Mokuba, a bit uncertain.
"Well, this is where it all becomes a game," explained young Seto. "The trick is to own more cards than anyone else. If you can do that you'll control the company."
"And how many cards do you need to do that?" asked his brother.
"The magic number is 51," answered fourteen-year-old Kaiba. "No one else can ever have more cards than you as long as you have 51 out of 100." He paused for a moment, the turned back to Lector. "Hey Lector, I want you to use all ten million dollars of my money and buy me 51% of a company."
"What company sir?" asked Lector, a bit surprised.
"It doesn't matter as long as they value their workers."
xxxxx
It was a few days later, but the scene had not changed. Lector knocked on the door to Kaiba's room.
"Come in," said young Seto.
"Sir, I have found and purchased the perfect company," said Lector.
xxxxx
Lector drove them to the company he had bought. Before they entered, he stopped them outside the gates and explained the purchase.
"This company is known for treating its employee's like family," said Lector/
"Cool! You're very own company!" chimed young Mokuba "Is it going to make you all the money you need?"
"Good question," agreed young Kaiba. "You see, this company doesn't make much money, but there is a way I can use this company to get what I need. Right now. Force the president to run the company my way."
Mokuba gasped slightly, though he didn't know what his brother was planning. What had caused him to gasp was the ever-familiar cold tone Seto had used. This was the first time Mokuba had ever heard it, and he wasn't sure if he liked it.
xxxxx
"What?! You want me to buy the company back at ten times the price?!" gasped the former president of the company. They were in his office, Lector, Seto, and Mokuba. The president looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Lector looked amused, if not a bit surprised and puzzled. Mokuba was the most surprised. But Kaiba was wearing a look that would not leave his face even in present time.
"Because if you don't, I'll shut this place down, leaving all of your employees jobless," threatened young Seto.
"You are horrible and you leave me with no choice," resigned the former president.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"What a jerk, that Gozaburo," thought Shayla. "I know last names are inherited upon adoption. I don't know what he was trying to pull, and I don't understand why Kaiba was trying to hard to be part of it. I do know that being threatened with being returned to an orphanage is a whole lot more serious than anyone else here can understand. I'd do almost anything not to go back."
"But still, what Kaiba did…extorting the money he needed from that man…that wasn't right. It was wrong, flat-out wrong and I don't care why. I know in my heart that there is always another way to get something done, a way without hurting…destroying someone like that."
"'There isn't enough people in the world who help others, so help others, because it is the right thing to do,'" Shayla thought, but it wasn't her voice saying the words. The speaker was the one who had first spoken those words to her…Luther.
"Oh…" she moaned. But the details of that day were coming back to her.
xFlashbackx
It was the first time Shayla had a real conversation with Luther. They were sitting on a large rock on the other side of the fence of the orphanage. There was a bush and some long grass that hid them from all but the most observant.
"…But why? I don't understand…" said Shayla, who was calling herself Enola at the time. Her voice was cracking and wavering and she was trying to bring it under control, but she couldn't. "Why are you wasting all this time on me?"
"Because…well, because of something my mom said," he answered. There was a slight waver when he mentioned his mother because she had only recently died and left him and Martin alone in the world.
"What did she say?" asked Enola/Shayla curiously, but she was also taking deep breaths trying to calm down. It wasn't working and that was only making things worse. And she hated not having control like that.
"It was one of the last things she said to me…I think she was a bit mad at the way the people in the hospital acted towards us," Luther sighed nostalgically. "She said, 'No matter what, I want you to do your best to help people, Luther. There isn't enough people in the world who help others, so help others, because it is the right thing to do.'"
"And I asked her, 'Why do the right thing?'" continued Luther. "I'll never forget the look she gave me when she said that. She told me, 'Because if you don't do the right thing, you might as well not have a soul.' I think she was trying to intimidate me a bit, even though she was so sick. But I think there's a lot of truth to what she said."
"What does that have to do with me?" asked Enola.
"Because of what I asked her next," replied Luther. "I asked her, 'How do I know who to help? How will I know who needs help?' And she said, 'You have a good heart, you will know, so just trust your heart.' And my heart told me not to give up on you."
"I still….that's…." stammered Enola, feeling like she was being torn in half.
"Trust me please," said Luther. "Not everyone is out to get you."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"With my help you made ten times your money back in that one day. And you got all the credit," Lector continued.
"Well, of course, it was my business skills that earned me that money Lector," replied Kaiba, as if he was talking to a child. "All you did was follow orders. That's all you were good for. You never once had your own idea. You couldn't have run Kaiba Corp.."
"Not only could I, but I will!" snapped Lector. "Once I escape to the real world in your body."
"You've been doing a poor job at that so far," replied Kaiba. "Since my Giant Germ was destroyed, I can summon another to the field." A Giant Germ materialized next to his Spear Dragon.
"You're just delaying your eventual destruction Mr. Kaiba," said Lector. "Since I have assumed the form of Jinzo, all of your trap cards are useless. And you of all people should know that no one wins a duel with monsters alone."
"Lector, I would never lose this game to you," replied Kaiba, haughtily.
"You'll lose so much more than just this game," growled Jinzo.
"Just hurry up so I can win this," said Seto.
"I play two cards face down," announced Lector.
"That was a waste," said Kaiba as he drew a card. "Spear Dragon, attack his face down monster!" His dragon took to the skies once more, aiming for the unknown monster.
"Nice try but I'm afraid your attack is useless, because I activate Cyber Jar!" yelled Lector as his monster was revealed. It had the shape of a jar, but that was about it. It was steel plated. The monster tipped towards Kaiba, revealing a blue top that opened like a jaw. Like a vacuum it inhaled all the monsters on the field. Giant Germ and Spear Dragon were absorbed into the void. Kaiba raised an arm to shield his face. The virtual world created a real vacuum unlike his holograms in reality.
BOOM! Cyber Jar self-destructed, taking all the monsters it had consumed with it.
"Now, we both have to draw five cards and immediately summon any monster with four stars or lower to the field," explained Lector.
"I know that," glowered Seto. "I summon Vorse Raider and Twin-Headed Behemoth!" Vorse Raider was a beast-warrior with a strange semi-reptilian face and unusual green and violet armor. It carried a long curved sword. Twin-Headed Behemoth was a two-headed, violet dragon. It was one of the smaller dragons in Kaiba's deck, ironically. Vorse Raider had an attack of 1900, and the behemoth had 1500 attack points.
"I summoned Injection Fairy Lily," announced Lector. His monster was female, which irritated Shayla. She was a tight-fitting nurse's outfit and had bright red hair. In her hand was a syringe as long as she was. Two dove wings adorned her back. But she only had an attack of 400.
"That's the best you've got?" asked Kaiba.
"Don't underestimate my fairy Lily," replied Lector. "It was worth summoning, even though it cost me a few life points to activate Cyber Jar." He now had 1700 life points while Kaiba had all of his.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"So they both start over," said Noah, casually.
"Go Seto!" cheered Mokuba.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"My turn and Solemn Wishes give me 500 more life points," announced Lector. "Then I'll start by activating my Magic Watch Tranquilizer." He held out his right arm and a watch formed on it. "The dart on this watch contains a poison that will weaken whatever monster I chose. And I chose your Vorse Raider." He raised his arm and launched the dart. It hit Kaiba's Vorse Raider in the neck. The Duel Monster groaned in pain. "Since Vorse Raider is a four-star monster, it loses 400 attack points."
"It is still more than strong enough to wipe out your fairy," Kaiba said contemptuously.
"Just watch as I activate Lily's special ability Mr. Kaiba," retorted Lector. "By giving up 2000 of my life points, I can increase Lily's attack by 3000 points!" His life points dropped to a low 200. The syringe in Lily's hands tripled in size and giving her a total of 3400 attack points.
"And that's not all Mr. Kaiba," said Lector. "I activate Sebek's Blessing, which gives me back some of the life points I lost." The brought him back to 2100 life points. "Now Lily, attack his Vorse Raider!" Lily jumped onto her syringe like a witch on a broom. Her wings opened and she flew like an arrow to Kaiba's Vorse Raider. His beast-warrior disintegrated in the explosion. Kaiba's life points dropped all the way to 1200.
"You won't be able to recover from the blow I just delivered," gloated Lector.
"I play one card face down and switch my behemoth to defense mode," said Kaiba. "I have conquered every challenge life has given me. This will be no different."
"I activate Life Absorbing Machine,' said Lector as he started his next turn. "This card will recover half of the life points I lost last turn, not that I need extra life points to ensure my victory, but it couldn't hurt."
"Get on with it."
"Fine, I place one monster on the field," said Lector. "But then I tribute it to special summon my ultimate monster!"
The card hologram vanished. But instead of a monster appearing in its place, there was a rather large explosion. Kaiba ducked from it. When he looked up Lector's newest monster was slicing through the atmosphere.
"What's that?!" he demanded.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Good thing we found this virtual pick-up truck," said Duke as the rest of the group drove down the highway.
"I still don't think we should have let Joe drive," replied Drake.
Joe was behind the wheel (the world is over). Kevin was in the co-pilot's seat. Ever since Kaiba had blown up at him, Joe was being friendly to the newcomer. Everyone else was in the back. Serenity was still holding the robotic monkey. Duke was unnecessarily close to her. Téa was leaning against the cabin of the truck. Yu-Gi was in the other front corner of the vehicle. Lara and Drake were sitting very close opposite of them.
"Well, it beats walking, that's for sure," said Yu-Gi "And it should help us to find…"
The vehicle came to a sudden stop as Joe slammed on the brakes. Kevin was the only one fortunate enough to have a seatbelt. Everyone else ended up in a heap in the back of the truck.
Duke had caught Serenity just as she started to fly forward. But the minute the monkey saw Duke's hands on her, it tried to claw his eyes out. Serenity held it tighter to keep it from hurting anyone. Téa was smushed, but her closeness to the front saved her from multiple bruises. Lara ended on top of Drake, cushioning her fall. Poor Yu-Gi was under all of them.
"What's the big idea?!" demanded Lara
"That…hurt…" groaned Drake.
"Why did you stop the truck?" Yu-Gi asked Joe, leaning towards the front window.
"Look Yug, what is that?" asked Joe as he pointed to an object soaring into the stratosphere.
"Oh wow!" exclaimed Yu-Gi
"It looks like some type of rocket," said Kevin, leaning his head out of the window.
"What's that?" asked Téa, who had not heard Kevin's comment.
"Some kind of virtual rocket I guess," Joe said with a shrug.
"Yeah but who launched it?" asked Yu-Gi.
"Well, there's only so many people running around in this video game," replied Drake.
"I don't think it's a good sign," added Lara.
"We should keep going," said Duke. "The sooner we get out of here the better."
"The one up side to being trapped as a robot monkey is getting to hang out in Serenity's arms all day," thought the robotic monkey as he happily snuggled deeper into Joe's sister's arms.
"We're looking for Tristan, remember?" Serenity said, firmly.
"She's so cute when she acts tough and the best part is all she can think about is finding me," thought the monkey as he rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Maybe Serenity really likes me. Not that I can exactly blame her." Unknowingly, the monkey flipped a switch on the back of its head. "I'm way cooler than that Romeo-wannabe Duke Deblin." He flipped the button again without knowing it.
"Weird, I could have sworn I just heard Tristan's voice," said Duke, looking around.
"Yeah. It came from him," agreed Téa, looking at the monkey suspiciously.
The monkey was still rubbing the back of its head and flipped the switch yet again, "If I stay stuck in this robo-chimp's body too long I may start chowing down on bananas and bugs."
"Um, Tristan?" asked Yu-Gi cautiously.
"Are you in there?" asked Téa, peering at the monkey.
"Did I say that out loud?" asked monkey Tristan.
"Yes you did," answered Drake. "And I thought the virtual world was as weird as it could possible get."
"Come here!" exclaimed Joe as he leapt out of the cab and grabbed the monkey by its neck. "Who are you?! I don't trust you one bit ape-boy!"
"Joe! It's me!" protested Tristan.
"I think you're a robot spy sent by Noah!" accused Joe.
"Not again with the spies!" groaned Kevin. "You need to lay off the James Bond ©!"
xxxxx
"Hey! I'm a monkey not a mad dog!" protested Tristan. They had decided it was best to be cautious. They had tied him to the back of the truck. They had resumed their trip down the highway.
"With the Big 5 running around in disguise, we're not taking any chances," explained Duke.
"I'm telling you its me! Cut a chimp some slack!" yelled Tristan.
"I believe you," said Kevin out the window. "I don't think the Big 5 would ever lower themselves to a robotic monkey."
"Thanks a lot!" snapped Tristan.
"I agree with Kevin," said Drake. "Noah built this world and he probably had been watching every move we have made and he doesn't need cameras to do it, that's how the virtual world works, since he has complete control of it. He wouldn't need a robotic monkey to spy on us."
"Complete control?" asked Lara. "That can't mean anything good for us, especially if Noah can turn people into robotic animals."
"It's a spy!" Joe yelled back at them. This caused him to swerve harshly to the right, forcing everyone to grab the sides of the vehicle.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxNow, Mr. Kaiba, where were we? Oh yeah, I have three times as many life points as you and was about to finish you off," said Lector. That was true, it was 3600 to 1200, but the duel was far from over.
"Just try."
"Have it your way. I activate Lily's special ability again by giving up 2000 of my life points," said Lector. His life points dropped to 1600 and Lily's attack rose to 3400 again. "Now Lily, attack his Twin-Headed Behemoth!"
Once again Lily shot forward and her super-sized syringe. Kaiba's monster was blown to bits the moment Lilt struck it.
"One thing about Twin-Headed Behemoth, it makes a quick recovery," said Kaiba as his monster reformed in front of him. But that effect could only be used once per duel.
"I place one card face down," continued Lector. "Then I activate Emergency Provisions. I destroy my two face-down magic cards to increase my life points by 500 for each magic card I destroyed." This brought him up to 2600 life points.
Kaiba's eyes narrowed, but that was all the reply Lector got.
"At this point wiping you out will be simple and seizing control of your body will be even simpler!" laughed Lector. Beside him was a gauge that was the only evidence of his tributed monster. The gauge had three levels. As Lector finished his turn, the needle on the gauge twitched ahead one level.
SCREECH! Kaiba turned at the sound of a pick-up truck coming to a halt. The road was still out behind him. If Joe hadn't stopped when he did, they'd all be swimming, although some looked ready to strangle him for the sudden stop.
"Guys! It's Kaiba!" exclaimed Yu-Gi as the gang piled out of the truck nursing bruises.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Excellent, the gang's all here," said Noah. "Now Seto you have an audience to witness your destruction.."
"They actually found him…" said Mokuba, who seemed a bit surprised. "Seto's going to cream that freak, then he'll rescue me! Go it?!"
"You seem quite confident that your brother cares about you Mokuba. Well guess again," shot Noah.
Mokuba gasped in surprise.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Yug, Kaiba's up against one of the baddest deck masters of all times!" exclaimed Joe.
"You're right Joe! It's Jinzo!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.
"And you know what that means," continued Joe.
"I sure do, it means that Kaiba's trap cards are totally useless," replied Yu-Gi
"Oh no! How can he win with half a deck?" asked Téa.
"Isn't that the Lord of Dragons?" asked Lara, looking at Kaiba's Deck Master. She turned to Drake. "But that was the same…"
"Don't say it!" exclaimed Drake. His eyes had narrowed considerably at the very idea that he had something in common with the Kaiba Corp. CEO.
"Lector thinks he's got me backed into a corner. But that old fool is in for quite a surprise," thought Kaiba as he drew his next card. "Looks like there's bad weather ahead."
He slid a magic card into place on his duel disk. "I activate Heavy Storm, which will destroy all of your magic and trap cards! So much for that!" But much to Kaiba's surprise, none of the cards on the field moved.
"As your father's right hand man I learned to anticipate his every move. And that's exactly what I've just done to you!" exclaimed Lector. "I activate Imperial Order!"
"That's trouble!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.
"What does it do?" asked Serenity.
"It destroys all of Kaiba's magic cards," explained Yu-Gi, "though it costs Lector 700 life points each turn."
"No magic card or no trap cards!" said Kevin. "That's one position I wouldn't want to be in."
"Come on Kaiba! The duel isn't over yet!" called Téa.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Hang in there…" said Mokuba, softly, as he stared intently at the screen.
"Finally, one of the Big 5 can hold his own," thought Noah.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"My turn," said Lector. "First I gain life points from Solemn Wishes and Life Absorbing Machine, then I pay 700 to keep Imperial Order in play." After much raising and lowering, his life points stopped at 3400. "Now, it's time to show you the power of my ultimate weapon. Satellite Cannon, begin firing sequence." Lector looked up at the sky when he said that, but he turned back to Kaiba. "When you took over Kaiba Corp. you destroyed all the missiles your father had worked so hard to build, so it's quite fitting that I use this satellite missile to destroy you!"
BOOM! The ground right in front of Kaiba exploded, destroying his face down monster which was briefly revealed as Wicked Worm Beast. The blast came from somewhere far above the duel, leaving every present scanning the skies for the source.
"You seem a little stunned to me Mr. Kaiba," gloated Lector.
"How can I stop a weapon that's up there?!" demanded Kaiba.
"You can't," replied Lector. "Orbiting the earth at an altitude of 240 miles. My Satellite Cannon is virtually unreachable. "
"It can't be beat!" gasped Yu-Gi.
"Yes it can," replied Drake. "But only by a monster with seven stars or more that can fly."
"That's unreal!" exclaimed Kevin.
"I've never heard of a duel monster that can attack from outer space!" commented Joe.
"My Satellite Cannon is so high in the earth's atmosphere that it is shielded from almost every monster," continued Lector
"Almost?" asked Seto. "How do you know I don't have a monster in my deck that can reach it Lector?"
"Trust me, by the time you summon a monster that can attack my satellite it will be too powerful to destroy," said Lector. "At last the mighty Seto Kaiba is about to lose everything he has. And it serves you right for destroying your own step-father and betraying the Big 5. Now its time you pay the price for using others to get what you want, even your own brother!"
"What's he talking about?" asked Yu-Gi.
"I don't know," answered Téa. "But there is one thing I know, and that is that Kaiba would never hurt Mokuba.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"No way! Seto and I are a team!" yelled Mokuba.
"Not all the time. Mokuba," replied Noah, coolly. "It's time you learn the harsh truth about your brother. Listen to what Lector has to say."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"You'll stop at nothing to get what you want Mr. Kaiba, even if it means deceiving those most loyal to you," continued Lector. "Your treachery began when your step-father, Gozaburo gave you ten million dollars to test your business skills. When you increased the cash by threatening the smaller company he was impressed by your ability and your cruelty. But that wasn't good enough for you. You wanted more."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"This is definitely a private matter," thought Shayla. "And I do not want to be involved in it. I have a feeling I'd be better off not knowing what happened."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xFlashbackx
The Big 5 had been gathered into one of Kaiba Corp's meeting rooms. They all looked rather puzzled. Fifteen-year-old Seto Kaiba sat across from them.
"As KC board of directors, we are curious why you called us all here," asked one of them.
"I'll get straight to the point," said Seto in a very professional tone. "You are all very talented men, but my step-father treats you like dirt. I have come to you today with a proposition you'd be fools to refuse. Sign on to my plan and we will rule Kaiba Corp. together."
"So slowly we all started buying pieces of Kaiba Corp. to try ans take over the company but getting the 51% we needed proved difficult," Lector narrated. "Then we realized that someone was leaking our plan to Gozaburo Kaiba and you told us that that someone was your little brother Mokuba!"
There was much gasping at this point.
The scene changed. They were back in Seto's room. The 100 Duel Monsters cards he had been using as counters were thrown everywhere. The Big 5 were there, watching. Mokuba looked positively terrified, while Seto looked completely enraged.
"Seto!" protested young Mokuba.
"Tell me! How could you rat me out like that?!" demanded young Seto.
"I didn't tell Gozaburo I swear! Seto!" protested Mokuba.
"You liar! Get out of my sight!" yelled young Seto, pushing him down.
"I'll never forget that, the most horrible day of my life," said Mokuba as he listed to Lector.
"By turning on your little brother you forced Mokuba to run to your step-father Gozaburo for comfort," Lector continued. "Of course, Gozaburo had his own agenda. Mokuba owned 2% of Kaiba Corp., exactly the amount Gozaburo needed to stay in control."
He jumped ahead to another point in time. Once again everyone was gathered in a meeting room. Seto Kaiba and the Big 5 were sitting opposite of Gozaburo.
"I have something to tell you," glowered young Kaiba. "The Big 5 and I have decided to take control of Kaiba Corp.."
"Wrong, but nice try," said Gozaburo. "See, I knew about your plan to buy out Kaiba Corp., but you were only able to buy 49%. And I'm afraid that leaves me with 51. You lose Seto because this company is still mine!" He slammed a fist onto the tabletop and glared at the Big 5. "And as for you 5, for betraying me you're all fired and I'll make sure you never work in this town again! Now clean out your desks and get out of my sight now! And don't think you're off the hook Seto, you're heading back to the orphanage where ungrateful brats like you belong!"
"I know what Kaiba did to that smaller company was wrong," thought Shayla. "But this Gozaburo is evil and needed to be stopped…and Kaiba did do a lot of good when he took control of Kaiba Corp., like destroying all the weapons." She sighed. Kaiba's actions, words, and tones always confused her. Shayla didn't know what to make of them. She also wondered why she let those facts bother her. "Kaiba has got to be the most two-faced person I know. … I do not want to be involved in this…"
Young Mokuba threw open the door to the meeting room. "Not quite! He's staying!"
"What?" asked young Kaiba.
"Easy! Because I'm giving my 2% of KC straight to you!" replied young Mokuba.
"You're making a mistake Mokuba! Remember how badly he treated you!" yelled Gozaburo.
"Seto and I are a team! I'd never turn my back on him!" replied young Mokuba.
"You are a fool!" bellowed Gozaburo.
"I've made up my mind," replied young Mokuba
"You've heard my brother, now I'm the new president of Kaiba Corp.!" said young Seto.
"NOOOOO!!!!" screamed Gozaburo.
xEnd Flashbackx
"Gozaburo was so ashamed that he ran away. No one has heard from him sense. So your cruel plan worked," said Lector, venomously.
"What's your point Lector?" asked Kaiba, ice-cold.
"You played us like fools! Mokuba wasn't the snitch! It was you, wasn't it Mr. Kaiba?!" accused Lector.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
" I don't believe it!" yelled Mokuba.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"You knew that your step-father liked people to think they were winning so that when he beat them they'd feel that much worse!" continued Lector. "So you used Mokuba as a pawn! You began leaking info about your plan to Gozaburo and made everyone, including him, think it was Mokuba. Your step-father let you gain 49% of his company, thinking Mokuba would give him the 2% he needed to stay in control. But you knew better, didn't you Mr. Kaiba. You knew that your little bro would be loyal to you no matter how poorly you treated him."
"You're wrong!" countered Kaiba. "Mokuba was the only one I trusted! I knew that together we could take our step-father down!"
"You used him to achieve your own selfish goals!" yelled Lector. "You toyed with your brother's emotions and took advantage of his trust in you. Then you destroyed the very man who rescued you from the orphanage!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"That's enough! Seto would never hurt me on purpose!" yelled Mokuba. Noah was looking rather amused by the whole thing.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"You never intended to run Kaiba Corp. with us as a team like you promised," accused Lector. "When became president you took away our responsibilities. You used me! You use everyone including your little brother!"
"Look Lector, life is a game and if you can't win it don't play! Now lets duel!," replied Kaiba.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"He didn't deny it," Shayla noticed. "Then again Kaiba isn't the type to get into a debate over his past with anyone. I hate this, this whole place is filled with liars! It makes me sick! And that Lector has some nerve to talk about betrayals, the Big 5 are the biggest traitors I have ever heard of!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"I summon Spirit Ryu to the field!" declared Kaiba. His newest dragon looked like a dark-blue winged snake. Its attack was only 1000.
"It still can't match my fairy Lily's special ability," reminded Lector. "You'll never be able to win this duel with such pathetic monsters and no magic or trap cards, so just give up now."
"Speaking of winning, watch this!" said Kaiba, a spark in his blue eyes. "I activate Spirit Ryu's special ability. It gains 1000 attack points from every dragon monster in my hand that I discard, and I have two!" That brought Spirit Ryu's attack up to 3000. "Now, Spirit Ryu, attack his fairy with Sonic Blast Attack!"
"Kaiba no!" yelled Yu-Gi.
"Aw man, he should have seen that coming! Kaiba's going to lose the duel!" groaned Joe.
"Do you really think that's a bad thing?" asked Drake.
"It might force him to learn some manners," agreed Kevin.
"Activate Lily's special ability!" announced Lector as he gave up 2000 life points.
Lily and Spirit Ryu charged head on. When the light of battle faded, Lily was the only monster standing.
"I don't know what game your playing Mr. Kaiba, but with only 800 LP left, you won't be playing it for much longer!" growled Jinzo.
"Why did Kaiba let him destroy that monster?" asked Duke.
"I think the pressure has gotten to him," answered Joe.
"Wait guys! I've just figured out Kaiba's strategy!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.
"He has a strategy?" asked Téa. "It looks a bit self-destructive to me."
"He meant to do that?" asked Joe. Yu-Gi nodded.
"Now, Twin-Headed Behemoth, attack his Injection Fairy Lily!" ordered Kaiba.
"No! I don't have enough life points to increase her strength!" yelled Lector since he only had 1400 life points.
"My plan worked!" replied Kaiba. "I forced you to give up 2000 life points this move so you couldn't power up your fairy this move!" As he spoke, his behemoth shredded Lector's fairy monster. That made Lector even with Kaiba in life points at 800.
"You see guys, lector has to give up life points to activate his best cards. So he needs his life points to be high," explained Yu-Gi.
"But can Kaiba pull off a victory with Satellite Cannon still in orbit?" asked Drake.
Lector started to draw a card to begin his next turn.
"Wait lector, don't forget to pay 700 life points if you want to keep Imperial Order in play," said Kaiba.
"I can't afford to give up that much," groaned Lector. "So I'll destroy it."
"Nice! Now Kaiba can use his magic cards again!" cheered Joe.
"Now I understand Kaiba's plan," said Duke. "If Lector can't restore his life points then his whole dueling strategy goes down the drain."
"The way he always raises his life points is actually a big weakness," commented Kevin. "If you can stop the flow. That's how I beat him."
"Lector, how can you expect to run Kaiba Corp. if you can't even control the numbers in a simple game of Duel Monsters?" taunted Kaiba.
Lector's two trap cards raise him up to 1650 life points as he started his next turn. "I play one monster in defense mode. Now, Satellite Cannon, attack!"
There was a long column of light that fell from the sky, blowing the Twin-Headed Behemoth to atoms.
"Your move Mr. Kaiba," replied Lector.
"Then I activate Pot of Greed," replied Kaiba. "That lets me draw to more cards. Now, I summon Possessed Dark Soul to the field!" This monster looked like a human who had been engulfed in flames. Its stats were 1200 and 800. "Attack his face down monster!"
There was a wave of fire from Kaiba's Possessed Dark Soul. It struck Lector's monster, revealing it as a small, blue skinned girl. But then the beam of fire reflected off of her and disappeared into space.
"That's my Dreamsprite," said Lector. "It reflects an incoming attack to another one of my monsters, like my Satellite Cannon."
Shayla was frowning. She disliked it when people like him used her favorite cards. She knew there was nothing she could do about it, but she still didn't like it. That was the part of her that caused her to chose the name Justice what seemed like another lifetime ago. She felt that people like Lector didn't deserve the cards she used because of their hearts.
"Hold on! Kaiba's monster isn't strong enough to reach that high!" protested Joe.
"I thought Lector was still planning something," said Drake.
"But there is other ways to destroy monsters than in a battle," reminded Lara. "And now that Kaiba can use his magic cards again, that is a possibility."
Lector's life points rose to 2150 as he started his next turn. "You won't make it passed my next turn. My Satellite Cannon gains 1000 attack points for each turn it's on the field, and next turn it will be strong enough to wipe out any monster you summon!" The gauge twitched up another level, giving it 2000 attack points. "I'll end my turn now."
"That snake! How come he didn't attack?!" asked Joe.
"You heard him Joe, he's charging up his cannon for one final attack," answered Yu-Gi.
"Well, that would only be a problem if Kaiba left his monsters in attack mode," said Kevin.
"He can't win if he's defending," Téa said.
"You're right," admitted Kevin. "In fact, I think that an angel like you must always be right."
"Now is not the time, Romeo," said Duke. Kevin shrugged.
"Does Kaiba have a monster strong enough to crush that thing?" Joe asked.
"No duh," said Drake, inaudibly.
"Wait a minute, there might be one," said Yu-Gi. "But who knows if he can summon it in time?"
"It all comes down to this next draw," thought Kaiba as he placed his hand on the top of his deck.
"Come on Seto," Mokuba silently cheered.
Kaiba could hardly repress a smile when he looked at the card, "And now behold my ultimate creature!"
"Oh?" asked Lector.
"First, I play this card face down," said Kaiba.
"That's not an ultimate creature," said Lara in disbelief, but Kaiba wasn't done yet.
"Then, I activate my Deck Master's special ability," said Kaiba. "For 500 life points and the right number of tributes, I can summon and dragon from my deck!" In a flash of light his Blue-Eyes, White Dragon rose in front of him with a loud bellow.
"Yes!" cheered the teens.
"No!" gasped Lector.
"That's your target!" yelled Kaiba, pointing into the sky. The Blue-Eyes flapped its large wingspan and took to the skies. Soon, it was out of sight in the clouds.
"No! Do you have any idea what this means?!" cried Lector.
"I know exactly what this means! This duel's over!" replied Kaiba. "Satellite Cannon only has attack points right before it attacks, otherwise its stats are 0."
"NO!"
"You should have known better than to challenge me! White lightning!" ordered Kaiba
There was a roll of thunder from somewhere overhead. A few seconds later the sky looked like a star shower as glowing fragments of the Satellite Cannon floated down. It was beautiful.
"How romantic," cooed Lara, taking Drake's hand in her own.
"Looks like you won't be leaving cyber space any time soon," Kaiba said to Lector.
"Nice job!" encouraged Yu-Gi.
"You wasted that Big 5 creep!" added Joe.
"I guess we'll have to find another way to get rid of that jerk," shrugged Kevin. "But I guess he has to be better than the Big 5…I guess…"
"No! I was so close to finally escaping this digital dungeon," groaned Lector as he slid to his knees in despair.
Kaiba raced over. "Where's Mokuba?!"
"You'll never see your little brother again, however I'll be back!" said Lector as his body broke into digital bits. With him gone, the road mysteriously reformed. The other teens quickly hurried across it.
Kevin looked down at the virtual waters below them and gasped.
"What is it?" asked Téa.
"I know I saw something down there, and it was big," said Kevin.
"See what?" asked Serenity, who followed his eyesight down to the waters.
"It just dove," answered Kevin.
"What was it?" asked Téa.
"I don't know, but it was creepy," answered Kevin. "It looked sort of like a hippo…no, more like a crocodile."
"I think you have been in this virtual world too long," said Téa.
"That is true, but I know I saw something," protested Kevin.
"Come on guys, you don't know if that bridge is going to disappear again," said Lara. That was enough to cause the three of them to run across to the other side where scorch marks from the duel marred the streets.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"I knew Seto would crush that creep!" cheered Mokuba.
"Mokuba, how can you still be on your brother's side? He used you to control Kaiba Corp.," asked Noah, who was genuinely surprised.
"I'll stand by my brother no matter what. We're family and nothing is going to separate us. Nothing," said Mokuba, confidently.
"I'll show him," thought Noah, viciously.
"Mokuba! I'm coming!" Seto yelled at the top of his lungs. But Noah caused the screen to go blank before Mokuba could hear it.
"I don't believe it!" thought Noah. "This is ridiculous! Even after everything I've shown him from his past, all those times Seto mistreated him, and he's still being loyal to his brother. I'm sick of Seto getting everything and leaving me with nothing! I deserve to have what he has! And I'll start with his little brother! From now on I'll make sure Mokuba is loyal to me instead of Seto! I'll crush him by taking the one thing he'd thought he'd never lose, Mokuba's trust!"
"What do you think your brother is thinking right now?" asked Noah, with a false calm.
"Huh?"
"Tell me, do you really think your brother is coming to rescue you? Or is he glad you're out of his way?" asked Noah.
"Seto is definitely coming here to get me. And when he does you'll be sorry," replied Mokuba.
"Is that right? Well why don't you ask him yourself because he's right behind you," said Noah. He had caused a virtual projection of Kaiba to form while they were talking.
"Huh?" asked Mokuba as he turned around "Seto! That was fast! I knew you'd come get me!" He leapt over the couch and raced to what he thought was his brother.
"Ugh, don't take another step Mokuba. Take a seat!" yelled virtual Kaiba as he pushed Mokuba down. "You little brat, I am sick and tired of you always holding me back. It's your fault we are still stuck here!"
"Seto! No!"
"Get a life," growled virtual Kaiba as he walked away, back to Mokuba.
"Come back! Seto!" begged Mokuba. "You can't leave me here with him! Seto… What happened?"
"What did I tell you?" asked Noah, walking over. "It looks to me like your so-called brother couldn't care less where you end up. But I on the other hand would like to help you Mokuba." He put a hand on Mokuba's shoulder.
"Huh?"
"Let me be honest with you. I can see that you are different from the others. So I'll save you."
"Save me? But you're the one who trapped me here…" Mokuba trailed off when he looked into Noah's eyes, which were glowing a hypnotic red.
Mokuba gasped slightly, then a spaced-out expression crossed his face.
"I didn't do anything. I'm your friend. Seto is your enemy. I am the only one in this world you can trust," said Noah with a pseudo-soothing tone.
"You're the only one I can trust…" echoed Mokuba, blankly.