Disclaimer: Check for it in chapter 1.
Before we begin, let me just clarify something. During a duel, when you see the "()" symbol in between numbers, that's not the character speaking. It's just me, the author, letting you know the stats of the monsters. The characters aren't actually saying that. With that said, on with the story.
A Kaiba Christmas wish
Chapter 2
Dueling settlement
[Kaiba Corporation: December 10]
Seto Kaiba was in a board room, discussing his normal businesses with the other CEO's. Each member sat around a long rectangular table, each sitting on normal office chairs. Kaiba sat at the end of the table, with his chair having arm rests on them, and the ability to spin in different directions. It was a bit flashy, but he liked to use little things to show that he was better than others. This attitude often earned him a number of enemies, but ever since the mysterious disappearance of the 'Big 5,' there wasn't anyone bold enough to try to get rid of him.
"Before we begin the meeting," Kaiba started, "is everyone present?"
"All but one of us." One of them said. "She's just recently flown in from America, and she said she wanted to rest a bit first. She'll be here any minute now."
"Well then. She'll just have to miss the meeting."
The guy that was speaking quickly stood up.
"But Kaiba! She owns one of the richest companies in the world! Her interest in our project could mean huge funds for our company!"
Kaiba calmly stood up.
"If she were so interested in this project, she should've been on time. In other words, 'she snoozed, she lost.'"
"But Kaiba-"
"That will be all! Or would you rather seek other employment?"
The guy quickly shook his head, and quietly sat back down. Kaiba grinned, and sat down as well.
"Now, on to business. How are the sales on the dueling disks?"
Another CEO spoke up. "They're selling like hotcakes, sir. We're barely able to keep up with the demand."
"Good. And our stock?"
"Couldn't be better." Answered another.
"Good. Now that that's over with, on to the project. What have you been working on?"
Just as they were about to answer, Kaiba's cell phone rings.
"Hold on." He said as he reached for his phone, and pressed a button. "What is it?.........Tell her it's too late....No, you will 'not' accept bribes!...........Hello?"
The voice on the phone had suddenly changed. The struggling of the security guard trying to get the phone back could be heard.
"Yes? This is Seto Kaiba, right?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"I'm supposed to be at your meeting to discuss your project, but this lowlife employee won't let me through."
Kaiba was a bit surprised at the woman's reference to the security guard. "Pretty big talk for a woman who's late."
"Look. Are you going to let me in or not?"
"Consider this as a lesson in life for being late, especially to my meetings."
A growl could be heard from the phone. "Look! Do you know who I am?!"
Instead of answering, he hung up. He put the phone away, and focused his attention back to the meeting.
"Now, as I was saying-" he was interrupted by the phone ringing again. He then answered it. "What now?!"
"How dare you hang up on me! You should consider yourself lucky that I'm even allowing you to bask in my presence!"
Kaiba grinned. This woman definitely had a rich attitude. "I can see that you're too full of yourself to know any better, so I'll cut to the chase. Normally, I would have security throw you out as we speak, but I'm going to make you an offer."
"Hey! 'I' was the one who came from America to give 'you' an offer!"
Kaiba ignored her, and continued. "If you want to see my project bad enough, then get here in five minutes. If you fail, I'll have security throw you out."
"Deal!" Then a strange sound was heard.
"What was that?"
"Just the elevator. I decided to let myself in."
"What floor on you on?!"
However, instead of answering his question, she just opened his office doors. Looking right into his eyes, she finally answered his question through the phone.
"Same floor as you." Then she hung up, and put the cell phone away.
Kaiba stared straight at her. He admired her persistence, but he also detested her arrogance. Judging by her features, she was the rich American woman that one of his CEO's were talking about. She had shoulder length silver hair, thin lips that were covered in crimson lipstick, a healthy beige skin color, and dark brown eyes that were slightly narrow. She wore a red business top that was short sleeved, a white skirt that covered half of her thighs, and red high heels.
"Well, at least you 'look' better than you act."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Just sit down over there!"
He was pointing to a seat that was next to one of the CEO's, but instead, she sat down on one of the fancy chairs on the other end of the table.
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather sit on something that doesn't look like a low level employee."
"I don't have time for this!" then he turned towards a CEO. "Now, show us the project."
The CEO stood up, bowed, and left the door. Seconds later, he brought out a strange looking metallic box. He placed it on the center of the table.
"This is the project we've been working on. It's a modified version of the virtual world project. The difference, and a big one I might add, is that instead of entering an artificial world, the artificial world comes to you."
Kaiba frowned. "This had better be more than just a holographic projector."
"You can be sure of that, sir." The CEO continued. "Not only will it create an artificial world inside a building, but in addition, all the actions and smells that it projects will seem very real. A perfect battleground for dueling."
"I see. Has it been tested?"
"Yes, it has."
The woman quickly stood up. "Oh really. Would you like to test it out?"
Kaiba also quickly stood up. "This isn't your place to give orders!"
"Well, I'm planning to fund most of this project, so I have every right to see if it works!"
"Care to put your money where your mouth is?"
"Anytime!"
"Then 'you' test it out!"
"Gladly!"
Then she opened her briefcase, and removed a dueling disk from it. She then placed a deck inside it, and applied it on her arm.
Kaiba grinned at this. "I never figured you for a duelist. You look more like the type to worry about manicures than getting a little dirty."
She grinned right back at him. "And 'I' never expected such an arrogant fool to be one of the top notch duelists."
One of the CEO's spoke up. "So, who will you duel against?"
She pointed right to Seto. "I prefer to duel against someone within my social status. That is, unless he's afraid to lose to a girl."
Kaibas grin became darker. "Is that what you think? Come to think of it, you never mentioned your name. Or should I refer to you as 'foolish woman?'"
"Well, since we're going to be part of the same project, I might as well let you know. My name is Bellona Crawford. It's Latin for 'goddess of war.'"
A glint of familiarity suddenly struck his mind. "Crawford?"
"Yes. Bellona Crawford. It's a strong name, I know."
"No! I meant Crawford! What's your business anyways?!"
"Not that it's important, but duel monsters. I inherited the business from my older brother, who sadly passed away a long time ago. I'm sure you know him. After all, 'he' brought duel monsters to the public."
Now glaring at her, he picked up his cell phone, and dialed some numbers.
"Yes, security? Block all exits. Let no one leave." Then he hung up.
Bellona was now getting nervous. She tried to walk towards the door, but it was quickly blocked by the CEO's. Kaiba walked up to her until she was backed up against a wall, and was glaring straight into her eyes.
"Tell me. Did your brother go by the name of Pegasus?"
She quickly nodded. "Yes, he was. However, I've never seen him after he went to Japan just before he created Duelist Kingdom."
"Do you have any idea the problems he caused for me?!"
Bellona started to get angry. "What are you implying?!"
"Your brother wasn't the good person you might think he was. He kidnapped my younger brother, Yugi's grandfather, and trapped their souls inside cards! When I went to duel against him, I lost, and suffered the same fate! If it wasn't for Yugi, that madman would've succeeded!"
Hearing this, she tried to slap him, but he caught her arm, and forced her back against the wall.
"Let go of me!"
"What are you 'really' doing here?"
"To find out what happened to my brother. I received word that he died in a hospital. Someone tore his eye out of his socket. No one knows who did it either!"
"And you expected that I would know, right?"
"Yes. You and Yugi were the last ones that dueled against him. At least, that's what I was told."
"Well, I don't know what killed him, and frankly, I couldn't be happier."
Her eyes flared at this remark. "Perhaps what you said about him is true, but I cannot allow you to speak to him that way!" Then she shook herself loose from his grip. "I challenge you to a duel! We'll use your new project as a perfect testing ground!"
Kaiba motioned for one of the people to retrieve his deck and dueling disk from the table, which they promptly did. He placed the cards in them, and applied the disk on his arm.
"Fine. I accept your challenge. However, when I win, your company must sponsor mine. I might as well get something out of this waste of time."
"Agreed! And when 'I' win, you must take back what you said about my brother, and give your project to me!"
Kaiba glared at Bellona, who also glared back.
"Fine! But it's only because I'm very confident about winning that I'm going to agree! However, because the stakes are so high, and because I don't trust you, we'll be using the standard rules, and 8,000 life points."
"Let's duel!"
And so the two business rivals stood on opposite ends of the room, which has been cleared while they were arguing. The CEO's were watching from the corners of the now mountainous room. They could both feel the cold mountain air, and the white snow under their feet. Kaiba looked around.
"Why is the room like this?"
"The machine has been set so that whatever happens on the dueling field, happens in this room. Fortunately, the damage is only done mentally, so the pain won't be real. Also, I took the liberty of giving your dragon types a field advantage."
"Hey!" Bellona shouted! "That's not fair!"
"Sorry, but home team rules."
And so the duel started. Bellona went first, and placed 2 magic/trap cards face-down, and one monster card face down.
"I'll end my turn." She said.
So Kaiba set down 2 magic/trap cards face-down, and summoned a monster in face-up attack mode.
"I summon the Spear Dragon, in attack mode!"
"You don't really expect me to be afraid of that thing, do you?"
"Not really, but you 'should' know that Spear dragon has 1900 attack, and can still give damage to your face-down card. Now, Spear Dragon! Attack that face down monster!"
And so it did, and because of the realistic feeling that the room is supposed to give, she actually felt like she was stabbed with a spear. Her life point calculator lowered by 1500, since the face-down monster card was Sangan (1000/600), and that the simulated room gave all Dragon types a 200 attack and defense increase. She clutched her stomach, feeling the artificial pain as if it were real. Still, she laughed as she saw the Spear Dragon (1900/0) quickly switch to defense mode.
"Aw. Did you forget that Spear Dragon automatically switches to defense mode after attacking? Too bad. Also, because Sangan was sent to the graveyard, I get to choose any monster with an attack of 1500 or less." So she searched her deck, found a Sonic Bird (1400/1000), and put it in her hand.
Kaiba didn't say a word. He knew that it was only the beginning of the duel, and she was already down to 6500 life points, while he was still at a fresh 8000. "I will now end my turn."
So Bellona drew a card, which happened to be a Relinquished (0/0). She decided to wait until the right moment before playing it, though. Instead, she activated Pot of Greed, and was allowed to draw 2 cards at no cost. She grinned wickedly at her 2 new cards, which were Toon Index and Sonic Bird (1400/1000).
"I'll summon the Sonic Bird, in attack-mode! And because I successfully summoned him, I can use his effect, which allows me to search my deck for a ritual magic card." So she searched her deck, and removed Black Illusion Ritual, the ritual magic card needed to summon Relinquished. Then she shuffled her deck. "Sonic Bird, attack that Spear Dragon!"
It did so, and Spear Dragon was destroyed. Fortunately, since Sonic Bird has no trample effect, Kaiba didn't receive any damage, and therefore not feeling the effects of the simulation.
"I will end my turn."
Kaiba drew his card, which happened to be a Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500). Since he had a Goddess with the Third Eye (1200/1000) as a fusion substitute, all he needed to do was wait for another Blue Eyes, along with a Polymerization, and then he can summon the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800), guaranteeing the victory.
"I summon the Cave Dragon (2000/100), in attack mode!"
Bellona laughed at this, fully knowing that unless there is another dragon type on his side of the field, it couldn't attack. However, she stopped laughing as Kaiba activated a Pot of Greed. Kaiba noticed this, and grinned.
"Surely you didn't think that I was foolish enough to make a move like this without support, now did you?" He then drew 2 cards, which were a Change of Heart and a Seven Tools of the Bandit. "I'll set this card face- down, and I'll activate Change of Heart, allowing me to take control of one of your monsters!"
Seeing this move pretty much pissed her off, since the monster she was going to use as tribute to summon Relinquished was now taken from her.
"But that's not all." He continued. "I'll activate Ultimate Offering, allowing me to summon monsters anytime I wish at the cost of 500 life points per monster. And I'll use your Sonic Bird and my Cave Dragon as Tribute to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
Bellona slightly growled at the fact that she was going to have to waste her Waboku in order to protect her life points.
"Blue Eyes! Attack with your white lightning!"
Just as it attacked, Bellona quickly flipped her Wabaku, negating the attack of not only the Blue Eyes, but any other plans of attacking for that turn. Frustrated, Kaiba ended his turn, leaving the score with Kaiba at 7500, and Bellona at 6500.
Bellona drew another card, which was a Mask of Darkness (900/400). She set it, and then ended her turn.
Kaiba drew a card, which was a Magic Cylinder. He normally didn't like having it in his deck, since it reminded him of Yugi, but over time, he swallowed his pride in order to gain an extra advantage against him. He set it face-down, and had Blue Eyes attack the face-down card, which quickly revealed the Mask of Darkness.
"Looks like I get to bring a trap card back from the graveyard." Bellona said as she searched her graveyard, and brought back Waboku.
"I will end my turn." Kaiba knew it was a Waboku under there, but there was nothing he could do about it for the time being.
Bellona drew a card, which was a Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200). "I summon Witch of the Black Forest, in attack mode!" She scanned his face for any worry, which there wasn't any. "What? Don't you realize what's about to happen?"
"Just get it over with already!" Kaiba snapped.
"Suit yourself. I activate the Black Illusion Ritual! I will use Witch of the Black Forest as tribute, and special summon Relinquished!"
Kaiba's face became sour. He hated having to lose his Blue Eyes, knowing full well that Relinquished can absorb any monster it wants.
"But that's not all." She said in a singsong voice, being sure to mock his every phrase. "Because Witch went to the graveyard, I get to bring out a monster with a defense of 1500 or less. Much better than Sangan." So she searched her deck, brought out Toon Mermaid (1400/1500), and put it in her hand. "Time to make you hurt badly! Relinquished, absorb his Blue Eyes!"
And so it did, and Relinquished now acquired the stats of 3000/2500. Bellona grinned wickedly, deciding to put some more pain against him.
"I have a surprise for you, Seto deary."
"Don't call me that!"
"Just in case you happen to stall against me for a turn, I'm going to add some extra insurance." She laughed a bit more, almost sounding like a feminine version of her brother. "I activate Toon World!"
Kaiba gasped at the sight of the field now having a cartoony surrounding, which the mountains now looking like vanilla ice cream cones with cherries on top, and white flowers with smiley faces on them appearing out of nowhere. Above them, was a simulation of the Toon World book.
"This business wasn't the only thing I inherited from my brother." She said. "He also made a special Toon deck, just for me. We even tested it out together, although I still couldn't beat him, I was able to beat every other opponent I came across! All for just a measly 1000 life points for a simple activation of Toon World!"
Kaiba quickly shook off the shock. "You have a big mouth, just like him! Make your move already!"
"If you insist." Then she activated Toon Index. "In case you didn't know, Toon index allows me to search my deck for any card with the word 'Toon' in it." So she searched her deck until she found a Toon Summoned Skull (2500/1200). She shuffled the deck, and faced the field again. "Now, as you know, Toons are considered special summons, so I can bring out as many as I want, so get ready! I summon the Toon Mermaid, and I'll use her as tribute to summon the Toon Summoned Skull! But wait, there's more! I'll also summon the Toon Gemini Elf! (1900/900)."
She looked at the horror in Kaibas face. She was enjoying every second of it.
"Overkill is something one might think, but the stakes are high, so I must. Unfortunately, Toons cannot attack the same turn that they are summoned, and cost 500 life points per Toon to attack. Sure, all is not perfect, but by the way things are looking, there isn't much need. Now, Relinquished, attack his life points directly!"
Relinquished attacked, but Kaiba's look of worry quickly turned into a look of triumph as he quickly flipped Magic Cylinder, negating the attack and redirecting it back at Bellona for direct damage. The simulation of the white lightning attack was so great, that it literally sent her flying against the wall. She had lost 3000 life points in direct damage.
She slowly rose to her feet, and walked back to her former position, staggering as she did so. She could still feel the heat of the attack all over her body.
"That.. will end.. my turn." The score was now Kaiba with 7500, and Bellona with 2500.
Kaiba hesitantly drew his next card, hoping for the 'heart of the cards' to take effect. Fortunately, it did, as his next card was a Magician of Faith (300/400). He set it down, and ended his turn.
Bellona drew a card, which was a Poison of the old man, a magic card that allowed her to either gain 1200 life points, or deduct 800 from the opponent. She chose the former, thus giving her a life point boost.
"Relinquished, attack the face down card!"
And so it did, revealing the Magician of Faith. Kaiba used its magic retrieving effect by bringing Pot of greed from the graveyard, and to his hand.
"Well-well-well." She said, grinning at what just happened. "You actually saved yourself from getting destroyed this turn." Then she shrugged. "Oh well. I'll pay 1000 life points to have both my Toons attack. Toon Gemini! Toon Summoned Skull! Attack!"
It was Kaiba's turn to feel the pain, as both Toons attacked his life points directly, sending 'him' flying. Fortunately, he caught himself before he hit the wall. However, doing so made him feel more pain, due to not being fully shot back by the blast. Limping, he walked back to his former position.
"Doesn't feel good, does it?" she asked, not expecting an answer, of course. "That will end my turn."
The score was now Kaiba with 3100, and Bellona with 2700.
Kaiba drew a card, which was Graceful Charity. Grinning, he activated Pot of greed, and drew 2 cards, one being another Blue Eyes, and one being Raigeki. He then activated Graceful Charity, and drew 3 cards, which were Dragons rage, Monster Reborn, and Flute of Summoning Dragon. He then discarded Flute and Dragons rage. After doing this, he smirked at Bellona.
"You thought you had me, didn't you?"
"I still do, as a matter of fact."
"Then you won't mind what I'm about to do, then."
"Go right ahead." She said while yawning.
"Okay. I activate, Raigeki!"
Bellona watched in shock as her Relinquished, Toon Summoned Skull, and Toon Gemini Elf were instantly destroyed, and sent to the graveyard.
"Now prepare to lose some more life Points. I summon the Goddess with the Third Eye! Goddess, attack her directly!"
So it attacked, but the attack was quickly negated by the Waboku that was quickly flipped.
"(Good!)" Kaiba thought. "(Now that Waboku is no longer blocking my attack, all that awaits is the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon)!" Then he spoke aloud. "I see. In that case, I will end my turn."
Bellona drew a card, which was a Graceful Charity, which she quickly activated, and drew another Waboku, another Toon Blue Eyes, and a Toon Mermaid. She discarded the Toon Blue Eyes and the Toon Mermaid
"I will set this face down card, and then end my turn." Since Waboku was just set, she didn't have to worry about being attacked directly, and could probably draw either a Toon or a Toon index, or at least a monster that's stronger than 1200 attack.
Kaiba drew a card, which was Polymerization. He laughed maniacally.
"The duel is over for you!"
"Oh really." She said in a bored tone. "What could you possibly have that can get you so excited?"
"You'll see. I activate Monster Reborn, and I bring back the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
She raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That's what has you so happy?"
"No, that's not what has me so happy!" he retorted, mocking her tone. "I will also activate Polymerization, use Third Eye Goddess, my Blue Eyes on the field, and the Blue Eyes in my hand to special summon the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
So a large wavy vortex looking thing sucked in the two Blue Eyes and the Third Eye Goddess. The forms merged, and when the vortex vanished, the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon faced her. Bellona backed away in fear.
"But h-how?!"
"I'll tell you." Kaiba said. "Goddess of the third Eye can be used as a fusion substitute, therefore making it easier to summon my Blue Eyes Ultimate. Also, since we're going by standard rules, I don't have to wait a turn before attacking with a fusion monster. Now, any last words?"
She just glared at him.
"No? Fine, then. It's time to end this. Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack! Finish off this foolish woman!"
So it attacked. However, Bellona quickly flipped her Waboku.
"Too bad, Kaiba deary!"
"I'm way ahead of you." He said. "I counter with Seven Tools of the Bandit! Negate Waboku's effect!"
Kaiba was able to afford the 1000 life point cost, and Waboku was negated and destroyed, allowing the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragons attack to successfully strike her directly.
Bellona screamed in pain as the attack heated up her body, and sent her crashing through the wall, and quickly losing consciousness. Kaiba had won this duel. The final score was Kaiba with 2100 life points, and Bellona with 0 life points. The CEO's turned off the simulation, and one of them approached Kaiba as he was putting his deck and dueling disk away.
"Sir Kaiba. The results of the simulation were a complete success. Every ounce of reality and pain felt very real, and without actual wounds, just as you had wanted."
"Good." Kaiba answered as he finally put the things away. "Be sure to start the assembly. Dueling has now become a step closer into becoming more realistic."
Suddenly, another CEO quickly rushed towards Kaiba.
"Sir! Come quick! Bellona won't wake up!"
"Just have an ambulance pick her up."
"But sir, I don't think that's wise."
"And why not?"
"Well, because she became injured by testing one of your products without first signing a waiver. If word gets out, someone could have our operations shut down before we can put the warning labels on them."
"Hmm, I see." Then he walked through the hole in the wall, and kneeled down upon her. He checked her pulse.
"She's still alive. The shock of the simulated pain must've been too much for her." He glanced around her to check for further damage, and found that her forehead was bleeding. His eyes widened in surprise.
"How did this happen?" he asked one of the CEO's.
"Well, I'm not sure, but I'll call the company nurse." Then he took out his cell phone, and called the nurse to come to the office right away.
[Company clinic: A while later]
After examining her and patching her up, the nurse placed Bellona on one of the beds. Kaiba was looking over her while waiting for the results.
"So, what happened?" he asked.
"Well," the nurse began, "she's actually hurt pretty badly. She should wake up the next day, though. It turns out that when she broke through the wall, one of the metal fragments struck her head. She's actually pretty lucky to not suffer from brain damage."
Kaiba was now feeling a little guilty about being so harsh to her, but he quickly shrugged it off.
"That's too bad. However, she brought it upon herself when she wanted to test my product."
The nurse would've been shocked at his words if she wasn't already used to them. "Sir, please listen to me. We need to take care of her for a while. Who knows what damage her body could've taken from that duel. Remember what happened when you dueled Yugi's grandfather? And that was only the primitive dueling arena."
"Once again, you're confusing me for someone who cares!"
Suddenly, Mokuba entered the room. He apparently heard what was going on.
"Big brother! What a mean thing to say!"
This took Seto by surprise. "M-Mokuba? You heard everything?"
Mokuba nodded. "I think you should take care of her. It's the right thing to do."
"Mokuba. This woman is related to Pegasus."
"I know. One of your CEO's informed me of everything that happened."
"Then you know why I don't care."
"Seto! That doesn't matter! Just because she's related to Pegasus doesn't mean that she's going to be just like him!"
Seto frowned. "It seems that Yugi's attitude is rubbing off on you."
"Yeah, so what? At least I'm able to feel emotion other than anger."
"That doesn't concern you, Mokuba!"
Yes, it does! You're my big brother, and I'm very worried about you! I don't want you to turn out like our stepfather!"
This made Kaiba's anger rise, but because the words were coming from his little brother, he restrained himself. Mokuba noticed this.
"See? It's already coming out! Please, big brother! Please warm up a little."
Seto looked at his brothers very concerned and worried eyes. Never in his life was he ever able to say no to him. After sighing, he finally spoke.
"Fine. Have it your way. I'll take care of her, but only until she fully recovers. After that, I'm throwing her out into the street!"
Mokuba smiled and hugged Seto. He knew that under that cold exterior, he had a chance to become nicer. Perhaps by taking care of someone other than himself, it could help him. After all, if he could warm up to Yugi, although only a little, there could still be hope for him.
"Take her to my mansion." Seto told the nurse. "I have to finish up business here first." Then he turned to Mokuba. "Mokuba, you go ahead without me. I'll catch up later."
"Okay. Just don't work too late. Remember; you said you would take care of her."
Kaiba half smiled, and then turned back towards his office to tie up a few loose ends.
*End of chapter 2*
Well, there you have it. The dueling sequence was actually difficult to write. I hope you all liked it, and thanks for the reviews. I'll try to get the next chapter posted as soon as possible.
Before we begin, let me just clarify something. During a duel, when you see the "()" symbol in between numbers, that's not the character speaking. It's just me, the author, letting you know the stats of the monsters. The characters aren't actually saying that. With that said, on with the story.
A Kaiba Christmas wish
Chapter 2
Dueling settlement
[Kaiba Corporation: December 10]
Seto Kaiba was in a board room, discussing his normal businesses with the other CEO's. Each member sat around a long rectangular table, each sitting on normal office chairs. Kaiba sat at the end of the table, with his chair having arm rests on them, and the ability to spin in different directions. It was a bit flashy, but he liked to use little things to show that he was better than others. This attitude often earned him a number of enemies, but ever since the mysterious disappearance of the 'Big 5,' there wasn't anyone bold enough to try to get rid of him.
"Before we begin the meeting," Kaiba started, "is everyone present?"
"All but one of us." One of them said. "She's just recently flown in from America, and she said she wanted to rest a bit first. She'll be here any minute now."
"Well then. She'll just have to miss the meeting."
The guy that was speaking quickly stood up.
"But Kaiba! She owns one of the richest companies in the world! Her interest in our project could mean huge funds for our company!"
Kaiba calmly stood up.
"If she were so interested in this project, she should've been on time. In other words, 'she snoozed, she lost.'"
"But Kaiba-"
"That will be all! Or would you rather seek other employment?"
The guy quickly shook his head, and quietly sat back down. Kaiba grinned, and sat down as well.
"Now, on to business. How are the sales on the dueling disks?"
Another CEO spoke up. "They're selling like hotcakes, sir. We're barely able to keep up with the demand."
"Good. And our stock?"
"Couldn't be better." Answered another.
"Good. Now that that's over with, on to the project. What have you been working on?"
Just as they were about to answer, Kaiba's cell phone rings.
"Hold on." He said as he reached for his phone, and pressed a button. "What is it?.........Tell her it's too late....No, you will 'not' accept bribes!...........Hello?"
The voice on the phone had suddenly changed. The struggling of the security guard trying to get the phone back could be heard.
"Yes? This is Seto Kaiba, right?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"I'm supposed to be at your meeting to discuss your project, but this lowlife employee won't let me through."
Kaiba was a bit surprised at the woman's reference to the security guard. "Pretty big talk for a woman who's late."
"Look. Are you going to let me in or not?"
"Consider this as a lesson in life for being late, especially to my meetings."
A growl could be heard from the phone. "Look! Do you know who I am?!"
Instead of answering, he hung up. He put the phone away, and focused his attention back to the meeting.
"Now, as I was saying-" he was interrupted by the phone ringing again. He then answered it. "What now?!"
"How dare you hang up on me! You should consider yourself lucky that I'm even allowing you to bask in my presence!"
Kaiba grinned. This woman definitely had a rich attitude. "I can see that you're too full of yourself to know any better, so I'll cut to the chase. Normally, I would have security throw you out as we speak, but I'm going to make you an offer."
"Hey! 'I' was the one who came from America to give 'you' an offer!"
Kaiba ignored her, and continued. "If you want to see my project bad enough, then get here in five minutes. If you fail, I'll have security throw you out."
"Deal!" Then a strange sound was heard.
"What was that?"
"Just the elevator. I decided to let myself in."
"What floor on you on?!"
However, instead of answering his question, she just opened his office doors. Looking right into his eyes, she finally answered his question through the phone.
"Same floor as you." Then she hung up, and put the cell phone away.
Kaiba stared straight at her. He admired her persistence, but he also detested her arrogance. Judging by her features, she was the rich American woman that one of his CEO's were talking about. She had shoulder length silver hair, thin lips that were covered in crimson lipstick, a healthy beige skin color, and dark brown eyes that were slightly narrow. She wore a red business top that was short sleeved, a white skirt that covered half of her thighs, and red high heels.
"Well, at least you 'look' better than you act."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Just sit down over there!"
He was pointing to a seat that was next to one of the CEO's, but instead, she sat down on one of the fancy chairs on the other end of the table.
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather sit on something that doesn't look like a low level employee."
"I don't have time for this!" then he turned towards a CEO. "Now, show us the project."
The CEO stood up, bowed, and left the door. Seconds later, he brought out a strange looking metallic box. He placed it on the center of the table.
"This is the project we've been working on. It's a modified version of the virtual world project. The difference, and a big one I might add, is that instead of entering an artificial world, the artificial world comes to you."
Kaiba frowned. "This had better be more than just a holographic projector."
"You can be sure of that, sir." The CEO continued. "Not only will it create an artificial world inside a building, but in addition, all the actions and smells that it projects will seem very real. A perfect battleground for dueling."
"I see. Has it been tested?"
"Yes, it has."
The woman quickly stood up. "Oh really. Would you like to test it out?"
Kaiba also quickly stood up. "This isn't your place to give orders!"
"Well, I'm planning to fund most of this project, so I have every right to see if it works!"
"Care to put your money where your mouth is?"
"Anytime!"
"Then 'you' test it out!"
"Gladly!"
Then she opened her briefcase, and removed a dueling disk from it. She then placed a deck inside it, and applied it on her arm.
Kaiba grinned at this. "I never figured you for a duelist. You look more like the type to worry about manicures than getting a little dirty."
She grinned right back at him. "And 'I' never expected such an arrogant fool to be one of the top notch duelists."
One of the CEO's spoke up. "So, who will you duel against?"
She pointed right to Seto. "I prefer to duel against someone within my social status. That is, unless he's afraid to lose to a girl."
Kaibas grin became darker. "Is that what you think? Come to think of it, you never mentioned your name. Or should I refer to you as 'foolish woman?'"
"Well, since we're going to be part of the same project, I might as well let you know. My name is Bellona Crawford. It's Latin for 'goddess of war.'"
A glint of familiarity suddenly struck his mind. "Crawford?"
"Yes. Bellona Crawford. It's a strong name, I know."
"No! I meant Crawford! What's your business anyways?!"
"Not that it's important, but duel monsters. I inherited the business from my older brother, who sadly passed away a long time ago. I'm sure you know him. After all, 'he' brought duel monsters to the public."
Now glaring at her, he picked up his cell phone, and dialed some numbers.
"Yes, security? Block all exits. Let no one leave." Then he hung up.
Bellona was now getting nervous. She tried to walk towards the door, but it was quickly blocked by the CEO's. Kaiba walked up to her until she was backed up against a wall, and was glaring straight into her eyes.
"Tell me. Did your brother go by the name of Pegasus?"
She quickly nodded. "Yes, he was. However, I've never seen him after he went to Japan just before he created Duelist Kingdom."
"Do you have any idea the problems he caused for me?!"
Bellona started to get angry. "What are you implying?!"
"Your brother wasn't the good person you might think he was. He kidnapped my younger brother, Yugi's grandfather, and trapped their souls inside cards! When I went to duel against him, I lost, and suffered the same fate! If it wasn't for Yugi, that madman would've succeeded!"
Hearing this, she tried to slap him, but he caught her arm, and forced her back against the wall.
"Let go of me!"
"What are you 'really' doing here?"
"To find out what happened to my brother. I received word that he died in a hospital. Someone tore his eye out of his socket. No one knows who did it either!"
"And you expected that I would know, right?"
"Yes. You and Yugi were the last ones that dueled against him. At least, that's what I was told."
"Well, I don't know what killed him, and frankly, I couldn't be happier."
Her eyes flared at this remark. "Perhaps what you said about him is true, but I cannot allow you to speak to him that way!" Then she shook herself loose from his grip. "I challenge you to a duel! We'll use your new project as a perfect testing ground!"
Kaiba motioned for one of the people to retrieve his deck and dueling disk from the table, which they promptly did. He placed the cards in them, and applied the disk on his arm.
"Fine. I accept your challenge. However, when I win, your company must sponsor mine. I might as well get something out of this waste of time."
"Agreed! And when 'I' win, you must take back what you said about my brother, and give your project to me!"
Kaiba glared at Bellona, who also glared back.
"Fine! But it's only because I'm very confident about winning that I'm going to agree! However, because the stakes are so high, and because I don't trust you, we'll be using the standard rules, and 8,000 life points."
"Let's duel!"
And so the two business rivals stood on opposite ends of the room, which has been cleared while they were arguing. The CEO's were watching from the corners of the now mountainous room. They could both feel the cold mountain air, and the white snow under their feet. Kaiba looked around.
"Why is the room like this?"
"The machine has been set so that whatever happens on the dueling field, happens in this room. Fortunately, the damage is only done mentally, so the pain won't be real. Also, I took the liberty of giving your dragon types a field advantage."
"Hey!" Bellona shouted! "That's not fair!"
"Sorry, but home team rules."
And so the duel started. Bellona went first, and placed 2 magic/trap cards face-down, and one monster card face down.
"I'll end my turn." She said.
So Kaiba set down 2 magic/trap cards face-down, and summoned a monster in face-up attack mode.
"I summon the Spear Dragon, in attack mode!"
"You don't really expect me to be afraid of that thing, do you?"
"Not really, but you 'should' know that Spear dragon has 1900 attack, and can still give damage to your face-down card. Now, Spear Dragon! Attack that face down monster!"
And so it did, and because of the realistic feeling that the room is supposed to give, she actually felt like she was stabbed with a spear. Her life point calculator lowered by 1500, since the face-down monster card was Sangan (1000/600), and that the simulated room gave all Dragon types a 200 attack and defense increase. She clutched her stomach, feeling the artificial pain as if it were real. Still, she laughed as she saw the Spear Dragon (1900/0) quickly switch to defense mode.
"Aw. Did you forget that Spear Dragon automatically switches to defense mode after attacking? Too bad. Also, because Sangan was sent to the graveyard, I get to choose any monster with an attack of 1500 or less." So she searched her deck, found a Sonic Bird (1400/1000), and put it in her hand.
Kaiba didn't say a word. He knew that it was only the beginning of the duel, and she was already down to 6500 life points, while he was still at a fresh 8000. "I will now end my turn."
So Bellona drew a card, which happened to be a Relinquished (0/0). She decided to wait until the right moment before playing it, though. Instead, she activated Pot of Greed, and was allowed to draw 2 cards at no cost. She grinned wickedly at her 2 new cards, which were Toon Index and Sonic Bird (1400/1000).
"I'll summon the Sonic Bird, in attack-mode! And because I successfully summoned him, I can use his effect, which allows me to search my deck for a ritual magic card." So she searched her deck, and removed Black Illusion Ritual, the ritual magic card needed to summon Relinquished. Then she shuffled her deck. "Sonic Bird, attack that Spear Dragon!"
It did so, and Spear Dragon was destroyed. Fortunately, since Sonic Bird has no trample effect, Kaiba didn't receive any damage, and therefore not feeling the effects of the simulation.
"I will end my turn."
Kaiba drew his card, which happened to be a Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500). Since he had a Goddess with the Third Eye (1200/1000) as a fusion substitute, all he needed to do was wait for another Blue Eyes, along with a Polymerization, and then he can summon the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800), guaranteeing the victory.
"I summon the Cave Dragon (2000/100), in attack mode!"
Bellona laughed at this, fully knowing that unless there is another dragon type on his side of the field, it couldn't attack. However, she stopped laughing as Kaiba activated a Pot of Greed. Kaiba noticed this, and grinned.
"Surely you didn't think that I was foolish enough to make a move like this without support, now did you?" He then drew 2 cards, which were a Change of Heart and a Seven Tools of the Bandit. "I'll set this card face- down, and I'll activate Change of Heart, allowing me to take control of one of your monsters!"
Seeing this move pretty much pissed her off, since the monster she was going to use as tribute to summon Relinquished was now taken from her.
"But that's not all." He continued. "I'll activate Ultimate Offering, allowing me to summon monsters anytime I wish at the cost of 500 life points per monster. And I'll use your Sonic Bird and my Cave Dragon as Tribute to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
Bellona slightly growled at the fact that she was going to have to waste her Waboku in order to protect her life points.
"Blue Eyes! Attack with your white lightning!"
Just as it attacked, Bellona quickly flipped her Wabaku, negating the attack of not only the Blue Eyes, but any other plans of attacking for that turn. Frustrated, Kaiba ended his turn, leaving the score with Kaiba at 7500, and Bellona at 6500.
Bellona drew another card, which was a Mask of Darkness (900/400). She set it, and then ended her turn.
Kaiba drew a card, which was a Magic Cylinder. He normally didn't like having it in his deck, since it reminded him of Yugi, but over time, he swallowed his pride in order to gain an extra advantage against him. He set it face-down, and had Blue Eyes attack the face-down card, which quickly revealed the Mask of Darkness.
"Looks like I get to bring a trap card back from the graveyard." Bellona said as she searched her graveyard, and brought back Waboku.
"I will end my turn." Kaiba knew it was a Waboku under there, but there was nothing he could do about it for the time being.
Bellona drew a card, which was a Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200). "I summon Witch of the Black Forest, in attack mode!" She scanned his face for any worry, which there wasn't any. "What? Don't you realize what's about to happen?"
"Just get it over with already!" Kaiba snapped.
"Suit yourself. I activate the Black Illusion Ritual! I will use Witch of the Black Forest as tribute, and special summon Relinquished!"
Kaiba's face became sour. He hated having to lose his Blue Eyes, knowing full well that Relinquished can absorb any monster it wants.
"But that's not all." She said in a singsong voice, being sure to mock his every phrase. "Because Witch went to the graveyard, I get to bring out a monster with a defense of 1500 or less. Much better than Sangan." So she searched her deck, brought out Toon Mermaid (1400/1500), and put it in her hand. "Time to make you hurt badly! Relinquished, absorb his Blue Eyes!"
And so it did, and Relinquished now acquired the stats of 3000/2500. Bellona grinned wickedly, deciding to put some more pain against him.
"I have a surprise for you, Seto deary."
"Don't call me that!"
"Just in case you happen to stall against me for a turn, I'm going to add some extra insurance." She laughed a bit more, almost sounding like a feminine version of her brother. "I activate Toon World!"
Kaiba gasped at the sight of the field now having a cartoony surrounding, which the mountains now looking like vanilla ice cream cones with cherries on top, and white flowers with smiley faces on them appearing out of nowhere. Above them, was a simulation of the Toon World book.
"This business wasn't the only thing I inherited from my brother." She said. "He also made a special Toon deck, just for me. We even tested it out together, although I still couldn't beat him, I was able to beat every other opponent I came across! All for just a measly 1000 life points for a simple activation of Toon World!"
Kaiba quickly shook off the shock. "You have a big mouth, just like him! Make your move already!"
"If you insist." Then she activated Toon Index. "In case you didn't know, Toon index allows me to search my deck for any card with the word 'Toon' in it." So she searched her deck until she found a Toon Summoned Skull (2500/1200). She shuffled the deck, and faced the field again. "Now, as you know, Toons are considered special summons, so I can bring out as many as I want, so get ready! I summon the Toon Mermaid, and I'll use her as tribute to summon the Toon Summoned Skull! But wait, there's more! I'll also summon the Toon Gemini Elf! (1900/900)."
She looked at the horror in Kaibas face. She was enjoying every second of it.
"Overkill is something one might think, but the stakes are high, so I must. Unfortunately, Toons cannot attack the same turn that they are summoned, and cost 500 life points per Toon to attack. Sure, all is not perfect, but by the way things are looking, there isn't much need. Now, Relinquished, attack his life points directly!"
Relinquished attacked, but Kaiba's look of worry quickly turned into a look of triumph as he quickly flipped Magic Cylinder, negating the attack and redirecting it back at Bellona for direct damage. The simulation of the white lightning attack was so great, that it literally sent her flying against the wall. She had lost 3000 life points in direct damage.
She slowly rose to her feet, and walked back to her former position, staggering as she did so. She could still feel the heat of the attack all over her body.
"That.. will end.. my turn." The score was now Kaiba with 7500, and Bellona with 2500.
Kaiba hesitantly drew his next card, hoping for the 'heart of the cards' to take effect. Fortunately, it did, as his next card was a Magician of Faith (300/400). He set it down, and ended his turn.
Bellona drew a card, which was a Poison of the old man, a magic card that allowed her to either gain 1200 life points, or deduct 800 from the opponent. She chose the former, thus giving her a life point boost.
"Relinquished, attack the face down card!"
And so it did, revealing the Magician of Faith. Kaiba used its magic retrieving effect by bringing Pot of greed from the graveyard, and to his hand.
"Well-well-well." She said, grinning at what just happened. "You actually saved yourself from getting destroyed this turn." Then she shrugged. "Oh well. I'll pay 1000 life points to have both my Toons attack. Toon Gemini! Toon Summoned Skull! Attack!"
It was Kaiba's turn to feel the pain, as both Toons attacked his life points directly, sending 'him' flying. Fortunately, he caught himself before he hit the wall. However, doing so made him feel more pain, due to not being fully shot back by the blast. Limping, he walked back to his former position.
"Doesn't feel good, does it?" she asked, not expecting an answer, of course. "That will end my turn."
The score was now Kaiba with 3100, and Bellona with 2700.
Kaiba drew a card, which was Graceful Charity. Grinning, he activated Pot of greed, and drew 2 cards, one being another Blue Eyes, and one being Raigeki. He then activated Graceful Charity, and drew 3 cards, which were Dragons rage, Monster Reborn, and Flute of Summoning Dragon. He then discarded Flute and Dragons rage. After doing this, he smirked at Bellona.
"You thought you had me, didn't you?"
"I still do, as a matter of fact."
"Then you won't mind what I'm about to do, then."
"Go right ahead." She said while yawning.
"Okay. I activate, Raigeki!"
Bellona watched in shock as her Relinquished, Toon Summoned Skull, and Toon Gemini Elf were instantly destroyed, and sent to the graveyard.
"Now prepare to lose some more life Points. I summon the Goddess with the Third Eye! Goddess, attack her directly!"
So it attacked, but the attack was quickly negated by the Waboku that was quickly flipped.
"(Good!)" Kaiba thought. "(Now that Waboku is no longer blocking my attack, all that awaits is the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon)!" Then he spoke aloud. "I see. In that case, I will end my turn."
Bellona drew a card, which was a Graceful Charity, which she quickly activated, and drew another Waboku, another Toon Blue Eyes, and a Toon Mermaid. She discarded the Toon Blue Eyes and the Toon Mermaid
"I will set this face down card, and then end my turn." Since Waboku was just set, she didn't have to worry about being attacked directly, and could probably draw either a Toon or a Toon index, or at least a monster that's stronger than 1200 attack.
Kaiba drew a card, which was Polymerization. He laughed maniacally.
"The duel is over for you!"
"Oh really." She said in a bored tone. "What could you possibly have that can get you so excited?"
"You'll see. I activate Monster Reborn, and I bring back the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
She raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That's what has you so happy?"
"No, that's not what has me so happy!" he retorted, mocking her tone. "I will also activate Polymerization, use Third Eye Goddess, my Blue Eyes on the field, and the Blue Eyes in my hand to special summon the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
So a large wavy vortex looking thing sucked in the two Blue Eyes and the Third Eye Goddess. The forms merged, and when the vortex vanished, the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon faced her. Bellona backed away in fear.
"But h-how?!"
"I'll tell you." Kaiba said. "Goddess of the third Eye can be used as a fusion substitute, therefore making it easier to summon my Blue Eyes Ultimate. Also, since we're going by standard rules, I don't have to wait a turn before attacking with a fusion monster. Now, any last words?"
She just glared at him.
"No? Fine, then. It's time to end this. Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack! Finish off this foolish woman!"
So it attacked. However, Bellona quickly flipped her Waboku.
"Too bad, Kaiba deary!"
"I'm way ahead of you." He said. "I counter with Seven Tools of the Bandit! Negate Waboku's effect!"
Kaiba was able to afford the 1000 life point cost, and Waboku was negated and destroyed, allowing the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragons attack to successfully strike her directly.
Bellona screamed in pain as the attack heated up her body, and sent her crashing through the wall, and quickly losing consciousness. Kaiba had won this duel. The final score was Kaiba with 2100 life points, and Bellona with 0 life points. The CEO's turned off the simulation, and one of them approached Kaiba as he was putting his deck and dueling disk away.
"Sir Kaiba. The results of the simulation were a complete success. Every ounce of reality and pain felt very real, and without actual wounds, just as you had wanted."
"Good." Kaiba answered as he finally put the things away. "Be sure to start the assembly. Dueling has now become a step closer into becoming more realistic."
Suddenly, another CEO quickly rushed towards Kaiba.
"Sir! Come quick! Bellona won't wake up!"
"Just have an ambulance pick her up."
"But sir, I don't think that's wise."
"And why not?"
"Well, because she became injured by testing one of your products without first signing a waiver. If word gets out, someone could have our operations shut down before we can put the warning labels on them."
"Hmm, I see." Then he walked through the hole in the wall, and kneeled down upon her. He checked her pulse.
"She's still alive. The shock of the simulated pain must've been too much for her." He glanced around her to check for further damage, and found that her forehead was bleeding. His eyes widened in surprise.
"How did this happen?" he asked one of the CEO's.
"Well, I'm not sure, but I'll call the company nurse." Then he took out his cell phone, and called the nurse to come to the office right away.
[Company clinic: A while later]
After examining her and patching her up, the nurse placed Bellona on one of the beds. Kaiba was looking over her while waiting for the results.
"So, what happened?" he asked.
"Well," the nurse began, "she's actually hurt pretty badly. She should wake up the next day, though. It turns out that when she broke through the wall, one of the metal fragments struck her head. She's actually pretty lucky to not suffer from brain damage."
Kaiba was now feeling a little guilty about being so harsh to her, but he quickly shrugged it off.
"That's too bad. However, she brought it upon herself when she wanted to test my product."
The nurse would've been shocked at his words if she wasn't already used to them. "Sir, please listen to me. We need to take care of her for a while. Who knows what damage her body could've taken from that duel. Remember what happened when you dueled Yugi's grandfather? And that was only the primitive dueling arena."
"Once again, you're confusing me for someone who cares!"
Suddenly, Mokuba entered the room. He apparently heard what was going on.
"Big brother! What a mean thing to say!"
This took Seto by surprise. "M-Mokuba? You heard everything?"
Mokuba nodded. "I think you should take care of her. It's the right thing to do."
"Mokuba. This woman is related to Pegasus."
"I know. One of your CEO's informed me of everything that happened."
"Then you know why I don't care."
"Seto! That doesn't matter! Just because she's related to Pegasus doesn't mean that she's going to be just like him!"
Seto frowned. "It seems that Yugi's attitude is rubbing off on you."
"Yeah, so what? At least I'm able to feel emotion other than anger."
"That doesn't concern you, Mokuba!"
Yes, it does! You're my big brother, and I'm very worried about you! I don't want you to turn out like our stepfather!"
This made Kaiba's anger rise, but because the words were coming from his little brother, he restrained himself. Mokuba noticed this.
"See? It's already coming out! Please, big brother! Please warm up a little."
Seto looked at his brothers very concerned and worried eyes. Never in his life was he ever able to say no to him. After sighing, he finally spoke.
"Fine. Have it your way. I'll take care of her, but only until she fully recovers. After that, I'm throwing her out into the street!"
Mokuba smiled and hugged Seto. He knew that under that cold exterior, he had a chance to become nicer. Perhaps by taking care of someone other than himself, it could help him. After all, if he could warm up to Yugi, although only a little, there could still be hope for him.
"Take her to my mansion." Seto told the nurse. "I have to finish up business here first." Then he turned to Mokuba. "Mokuba, you go ahead without me. I'll catch up later."
"Okay. Just don't work too late. Remember; you said you would take care of her."
Kaiba half smiled, and then turned back towards his office to tie up a few loose ends.
*End of chapter 2*
Well, there you have it. The dueling sequence was actually difficult to write. I hope you all liked it, and thanks for the reviews. I'll try to get the next chapter posted as soon as possible.