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Fanfic Chapter 141: A Family Affair Pt 1
Episode Basis: So Close Yet So Far
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Noah was systematically turning Yugi's friends to stone for each turn in which Yugi failed to defeat him. The first victim was Tristan, the robot monkey. Then Duke and Amara were struck together. Serenity was able to save Joey from being turned to stone but wasn't able to save herself. Joey was turned to stone soon after. Not even Harold's Armlet could protect him from being turned to stone. And finally, Tea, the one of them who has known Yugi the longest, was turned to stone. Noah was kicking Yami-Yugi while he was down when Little-Yugi came to Yami's rescue revealing that even though their bodies were turned to stone, their hearts are alive and well. Re-energized to an extreme, Yami-Yugi summoned Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons which launched a vicious attack and Noah was defeated.
Noah screamed out as the triple White Lightning attacks struck him head on.
(Y: 100)
(N: 0)
"Your reign of terror has ended, Noah," Yami-Yugi said. "And as such, all of my friends are set free!" Yami-Yugi held up his hand and the energy that was literally emanating from him from the Millennium Puzzle covered the stone statues which turned back into Kaiba, Mokuba, and the others.
"I'm back to normal," Tristan cried. Then let out a monkey squeak. "Well… sort-of."
"Serenity!"
"Big Brother!" The Wheeler siblings ran towards each other and were melded in a fierce hug.
"Mokuba!"
"Seto!" The Kaiba Brothers were finally reunited. "Oh Seto, I was afraid I would never see you again."
"Mokuba, I'm glad you're safe."
"Seeing as how you two are back to semi-normal, that means Yugi won the duel," Duke said.
"What duel?" Kaiba asked.
"After Noah pulled a sneak attack on you, Yugi took over," Tea explained. "He combined your deck with his."
"My deck?" He looked down at his empty Duel Disk. "He used MY deck?"
"Oh quit your bellyaching," Amara said. "Technically it isn't your deck, just holographic representations of cards you also have."
"Still…" Kaiba decided to let the subject drop. He was free and he and Mokuba were reunited, that was all he cared about.
The stone platforms descended. "How?" Noah asked out loud. "How could a mere mortal have defeated me?"
"Because you weren't just defeated by me," Yami-Yugi said.
"What do you mean?"
"Each card I played contained the heart of a friend. You weren't just defeated by me, you were defeated by all of us." Noah collapsed to his knees. "I could not have won without the help of my friends." He looked back at the others. "And the more you tried to break us apart, the stronger our friendship grew."
"This wasn't how it was suppose to happen," Noah whined. "I was supposed to win."
"You have been trapped alone in this virtual world for six years, Noah," Yami-Yugi said walking over to him. It's distorted your mind."
Yugi's right, Noah thought. Even before I was trapped in the virtual world, I've never had any friends. Maybe the reason I despise Yugi and his friends is because of that friendship, because they share a bond I've never experienced. I tried to eliminate their friendship. But they don't understand, they'll never understand what it feels like to be me. My father promised me with everything but left me with nothing. "It's not fair, I should be president of Kaiba Corp.!" He glared daggers at Yami-Yugi. Look at him, thinking he's better than me. "I can still escape to the real world in your body!" He rushed at Yami-Yugi and stuck his arm inside his body.
The Millennium Puzzle activated. Noah saw strange golden objects, seven in all. He also saw a person who looked like Yugi dressed in fine Egyptian robes. "What is this, who are you? Your mind, it's full of… secrets!"
Yami-Yugi saw images too. Their bodies encased in pods much like the ones he, Joey, and Mokuba were in when they went to rescue Kaiba from The Big-5.
"Hold on, Yugi!" Harold concentrated hard. Last time he tried using his Armlet, it failed him. He needed it to work for him this time.
A circle of symbols separated Noah from Yami-Yugi. "If you want him, Noah, you'll have to go right through me," Harold declared. "And when I say through me, I mean THROUGH me. You're not getting to him until there's a gaping hole in my body!"
"Ask and you shall receive." Noah lunged at Harold but Harold used his Armlet to push Noah back again.
By this time, the others have run up to them and taken strategic positions around Yami-Yugi. "Why don't you try that on me," Joey challenged.
"Joey, stop, he's just a kid," Serenity argued.
"A virtual kid with the ability to manipulate the world at will," Harold pointed out.
"Yeah, normally I'm not one for violence against children," Amara said. "But in this case, I'm willing to make an exception."
"It's time to release us from this virtual world, Noah!"
Noah laughed, "You've never left the real world." The Duelists and their allies all reacted with surprise. "That's right, everything here is virtual and your real bodies are in virtual pods inside the ship."
"So that's why we've been able to feel things in this world," Tea realized.
"It might also explain why my Armlet failed me, because Noah manipulated the world so that the blast was able to penetrate it."
"Yes, your bodies are just as virtual as mine."
"Of course!" Kaiba exclaimed. "When we fell through that hole, we didn't fall into a virtual world; we were knocked unconscious and placed in virtual pods!"
"So I'm not really a robot monkey?" Tristan asked.
"No."
"That's a relief."
The skies began to get dark which surprised even Noah. "Now what?" Amara asked.
"YOU HAVE FAILED FOR THE LAST TIME, NOAH!" A voice boomed.
"That voice!" Mokuba cried.
"It can't be!" Kaiba added.
A giant face appeared. The face looked like the picture that Yugi and Tea found in the virtual Kaiba mansion.
"Gozaburo!" Mokuba recognized.
"Father, what are you doing here?" Noah asked.
"How can he be here?" Kaiba asked.
"AFTER SETO DISGRACED ME BY TAKING OVER MY COMPANY, I VIRTUALIZED MY OWN MIND AND DESTROYED MY BODY!"
"But why?" Serenity asked.
"FOR REVENGE!"
"So you were behind all this!" Kaiba realized. "I should've known Noah wouldn't recall his own funeral or adopting me and Mokuba."
"Yes, and now you're going to give Kaiba Corp. to me, right, Father?"
"YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE AND YOU FAILED! NOW I'M TAKING OVER!"
"No, Father, all I need is a little more time."
"YOU'VE HAD PLENTY OF TIME! NOW I'M GOING TO FINISH WHAT YOU AND THE BIG-5 COULDN'T!"
"Hold on," Kaiba interrupted. "You had your chance too, Old Man, and you failed and lost Kaiba Corp. to someone more deserving of the job."
"I TAUGHT YOU EVERYTHING YOU KNOW. YOU WERE A WORTHLESS FOOL UNTIL I CAME AROUND!"
"All right, Gozaburo, enough horsing around, tell me what's really going on?"
"YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED AT ALL, SETO. VERY WELL, I'LL START BY TELLING YOU THE REAL REASON WHY YOU WERE ADOPTED."
When you beat me at chess, I realized that you had a potential I have only seen in myself. So I decided to adopt you and your runt of a brother to motivate my biological son, Noah. But then Noah had his… accident. I managed to preserve his mind in cyber space but I soon realized that it wouldn't matter. Noah would always be the same spoiled brat, unworthy of taking charge of an arms manufacturer like Kaiba Corp. So I turned my attention towards you. I worked you hard, grooming you to become the next head of Kaiba Corp.
"You gave up on your own son and left me all alone in cyber-space?" Noah asked incredulously.
"Poor guy," Mokuba muttered staring at Noah.
"So what did you intend to do with me?" Kaiba asked.
Even if Noah could learn to run a major company, he still lacked one critical element… a body. And that was where you came in, Seto!
"That's sick!" Serenity gasped.
"Huh, what?" Duke asked.
"Gozaburo planned to put Noah's brain inside Kaiba's body," Amara deduced.
"No kind of human would do something like that," Tea commented.
Gozaburo laughed.
Relax, that plan only worked for a short time. Why should I give Seto Noah's mind when his own mind was just fine, perfect for running Kaiba Corp. So I trained you, Seto, working you beyond your limits so that you could inherit my empire. But you stole it right out from under me! So before I ended my own life, I downloaded my brain into the computer where I could plot my revenge.
"You only used me to trap the others here," Noah accused.
"YES, IT WAS THE ONLY THING YOU DID RIGHT."
"You snake," Kaiba spat.
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL ME A SNAKE. I WAS THE MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN THE WORLD UNTIL YOU CAME AROUND AND STOLE EVERYTHING OUT FROM UNDER ME! I TREATED YOU BETTER THAN I TREATED MY OWN SON!"
"Thanks for nothing," Kaiba cracked. "I'll make sure you'll never regain your power."
"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE. OBSERVE." A view screen opened up in the sky and a satellite was shown. "THIS IS ONE OF THE KAIBA CORP. SATELLITES LEFT OVER FROM WHEN I CONTROLLED THE COMPANY. WITH IT, I CAN BEAM A SIGNAL ANYWHERE ON EARTH. I PLAN TO USE IT TO TAKE CONTROL OF ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND ASSIMILATE EVERYONE INTO THE VIRTUAL WORLD!"
"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."
"I'M SURPRISED YOU FEEL THAT WAY, NOAH, IT WAS BASED ON YOUR PLAN, REMEMBER? ON YOUR BIRTHDAY."
Noah gasped.
"Nobody would be willing to come to a world ruled by a psycho," Harold argued. "Even if you forced them to."
"THEY WON'T HAVE A CHOICE. ONCE EVERYONE IS IN MY VIRTUAL WORLD, I WILL USE THE REAL WORLD'S WEAPON SYSTEMS TO DESTROY ALL REMAINING LIFE ON IT! THE WORLD WILL BECOME UNINHABITABLE AND THE NEW WORLD WILL RISE WITH ME AS GOD!"
"There's no way we're going to let you get away with this," Duke said.
"JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD, YOU WON'T HAVE A CHOICE, BECAUSE YOU WILL CEASE TO EXIST FROM THE REAL WORLD AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD!" The ground started to shake. Gozaburo's image disappeared as hundreds upon thousands of humanoid Duel Monsters started to appear all marching towards them.
"Hey Kaiba, any more disgruntled relatives you like to introduce us to?" Amara asked sarcastically.
"We're surrounded!" Serenity cried.
"Everyone, stay close," Noah instructed and held his hand to the ground. He fired a blast of energy which formed a hole in the ground. "Everyone down the hole quickly."
"Do you think we can trust him?" Serenity asked.
"At this point, we don't have much of a choice," Kaiba replied. Everyone jumped into the hole with Noah being last. No sooner had he descended then the hole closed up.The last thing they heard was Gozaburo's demonic laughter.
Where are those fools? Yami-Marik wondered as he walked down a hallway. I can't wait any longer. He took out his Egyptian God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra (1). I need to obtain Obelisk the Tormentor (2) from Seto Kaiba and I need to win the Millennium Puzzle and Slifer the Sky Dragon (3) from the Pharaoh. But I can't do that if I can't find them! Unknown to Yami-Marik, he tripped a security laser causing several robots to come alive.
"I think we lost my father for now," Noah said. He and the others had taken shelter in a cave. "But I know it won't be long before he discovers us. We need to escape now and I know how."
"How?" Yami-Yugi asked.
"Follow me."
"I don't trust him," Joey said.
"Consider the options," Amara said. "I rather deal with him than the Great-Big-Head-In-The-Sky."
Everyone started to follow Noah through the cavern.
Serenity gently pulled on the sleeve of Joey's shirt. Joey looked at his sister who gave him a pleading look. Joey sighed and knew what Serenity wanted him to do. He went up to Harold, "Yo, Harold, you got a sec?"
"Joey, I don't think this…"
"Better now than never," Joey interrupted. "Look, I just wanted to say… well… sorry, man, for… what I said on the blimp last night. If Serenity's okay with you, then I'm okay with you. So what do you say, buds?" He offered Harold his hand. Harold shook it.
Serenity let out a sigh of content.
Unknown to them, Noah's eyebrow twitched at the exchange. Trying to ignore it, he led them up to a control panel next to a set of steel doors. He studied the panel before sighing defeatedly. "I'm sorry," he said. "Gozaburo seems to have locked this way. I wanted to escape to the real world, not destroy it! Apparently the only part of my father that was uploaded was his greed and desire for death and destruction."
Poor guy, Mokuba thought. Gozaburo used him just like he used Seto.
"Every virtual reality program has to have more than one emergency exit in case of system failure," Kaiba commented. "So if I were you, Noah, I would think harder."
"What's wrong, Seto?" Noah asked mutely. "Don't you want to stay for a while?" He turned around to face them. His eyes had gone dark and there was a crazy look to his face. "My Father's planning on bringing the whole planet here and I'll never be alone again!" He let out a maniacal laughter.
"Still don't want to deal with the Great-Big-Head-In-The-Sky?" Joey asked Amara.
"Shut up," Amara replied.
Mokuba ran up to him and slapped him a couple of times. "Get a hold of yourself, your father betrayed you. Don't tell me you're going to join his side after what he did to you!"
That seemed to knock some sort of logic back into Noah. "You're right, Mokuba, sorry." For a moment, Mokuba saw a young Seto Kaiba's face in Noah's.
Whoa, I'm seeing things, Mokuba thought.
"Wait a second, I just remembered," Noah said. "I created my own emergency escape exit. I was going to use it once I got a body. Follow me." I will not succumb to my father's treachery. I will betray him in return as soon as I get a body and I know just the one.
Yami-Marik heard a sound behind him. He turned and saw several security drones behind him.
"Halt, you are in an unauthorized area."
Yami-Marik chuckled, "Then come at me if you dare." The security drones opened fire. Yami-Marik used the Millennium Rod to bat away the lasers before encompassing them in a shadow realm bubble and shrunk it destroying them. "Well that was amusing," Yami-Marik commented. "Now to find those fools."
Noah was still leading them through the caverns. Yami-Yugi dropped back to Kaiba. "Kaiba, something's not right," he said. "Noah is not to be trusted."
"Tell me something I don't know, Yugi."
"Then why are you following him?"
"I was taught to watch my enemies very closely."
They exited the cavern into a chasm.
"Maybe Kaiba's wrong," Yugi offered appearing. "Maybe Noah is trying to help us. His father mistreated him too."
"You think so?" Yami asked.
"Kaiba and Noah really are similar," Yugi commented. "They were both mistreated by Gozaburo and they both need all of our help to stop him."
"You might be right, Yugi. In that case, why don't you take over?"
"Okay." Yami was suppressed into the Millennium Puzzle and Yugi took over.
"Here it is," Noah said showing a set of large oak doors. "Once you step through those doors, you'll wake up in the real world in your original bodies."
"Wahoo!" Tristan cried than monkey squeaked. "Excuse me."
The doors opened revealing a swirling white energy. Everyone's field of vision was engulfed in light.
Mokuba found himself in a plaza in what looked like Domino.
"How'd I get here?" Mokuba wondered. He didn't see anyone else. "Seto? Yugi? Anybody?"
"Mokuba!" Noah ran up to him. "What are you still doing here? Everyone's already outside."
"I don't know, something must've gone wrong."
"My father, he must be trying to prevent you from escaping. Follow me, I'll lead you to the exit point." Mokuba may think his friends are free but in fact they're trapped in their own memories!
To Be Continued
Duel Monster Database
(1)
Name: Winged Dragon of Ra
Level: 10
Type: Divine-Beast
Attribute: Divine
ATK: XXXX
DEF: XXXX
(2)
Name: Obelisk the Tormentor
Level: 10
Type: Divine-Beast
Attribute: Divine
ATK: 4000
DEF: 4000
(3)
Name: Slifer the Sky Dragon
Level: 10
Type: Divine-Beast
Attribute: Divine
ATK: X000
DEF: X000