Yu-Gi-Oh Original Series

Parallel

Chapter 009

Originally Written: Tuesday, April 5, 2022 130PM to 239PM

. . . . .

It took Mitsura less than the two days Bakura anticipated to find them. The look on his face could kill a person. And he was directing it at Yugi. He wasn't scowling either.

"So…um, how are you doing?" Yugi swallowed thickly. Mitsura was one person from Domino High he wouldn't be able to beat if he wailed on him. Yugi didn't know how he did it but those calm blue eyes suddenly looked like ice.

"I've been better. Thank you for asking. I hope you are doing well. Either way, down to business. I need you to follow me." His trademark glasses hung from his green button up shirt. The blue trench coat even made him look slightly less nerdy. The very bottom right edge seemed to have been nicked with something capable of piercing it, for there was a small hole in the fabric. He held a steel briefcase in his hands.

"I've heard you do, but no thanks." Yugi pointed to Pegasus' castle in the distance. "I'm headed up there."

"Perfect." Seto smirked, and Yugi had to wonder if this was Seto Kaiba he was looking at, and Seto Mitsura was reserved for school. "Let's go."

"You go first!" Yugi waved his hands. "I'll follow."

Mitsura gave him a look that told Yugi he didn't believe him for a second. "Hard way then."

Mai nudged him. "You need to go with him." She whispered.

"If I go with him I'm going to disappear. I know who his dad is." Yugi whispered back. "His older brother isn't much better either."

"Yug's not going anywhere with you with that attitude!" Joey stepped forward, fists clenched. A strong breeze gusted through the area.

Mitsura sighed, then calmly pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. It rang for but a few moments, "Good afternoon. This is Seto." He waited a moment, and nearly ruined his entire image by fiddling with the collar of his trench coat. "Hm, yes, I am formally requesting Yugi Moto be disqualified from the Duelist Kingdom tournament effectively imme-."

"-That's not fair!"

"-What the hell Mitsura!?" Tea and Joey shouted.

"No!" Yugi shouted, running forward, "No! No! I'll come with you! No tricks!" His heart beat terribly fast in his chest. He needed to get to Pegasus' castle and win like he needed air to breathe.

"Please cancel that request. Yes, I'm certain. I shouldn't need to call you again today. Thank you and good day." Mitsura hung up the cell phone and put it back in his pocket. "I'm pleased you saw reason, Yugi."

"Noa's usually the one who does this. What did Yugi do to this family?" Mai whispered to Tea.

Tea shook her head in disbelief, "Go to school with him? I don't know."

"This way, please." Mitsura held out an arm as though directing Yugi to go ahead of him. "You are welcome to join him."

Joey glared at Mitsura as he passed by. "I expected better from you, Kaiba."

"Don't expect anything positive from anyone. Then you won't look like an ass for making an incorrect assumption and they won't disappoint you, Joey." Mitsura gave Joey a look that said his viewpoint was obvious. Joey's words washed over him.

After a relatively long trek, Mitsura stopped the group when they were on the literal roof of Pegasus' castle.

"We're going to Duel, right?" Yugi muttered with a bland tone.

"Yes, with cards would be preferable to the more traditional kind of duel." Mitsura walked to one side of the makeshift arena and Yugi stepped to the other. As tradition, Tea, Joey and Mai stood on the sidelines.

"How? There's no dueling platform up here?" Tea asked, spreading her arms.

"Not yet" Mitsura dropped his briefcase, and opened it. He looked down for a moment, and then back up.

'Allow me.' The voice in Yugi's head offered.

'Not yet.' Yugi frowned. "What did Pegasus take from you? 'Cause he wants this thing from me." Yugi grabbed the chain and slightly lifted up his puzzle. Surely it was no coincidence that the eye on Seto's forehead matched the one on his puzzle. And surely it was not another coincidence that Tea, Joey and Mai could not see said eye.

"Pegasus…?" Tea frowned.

Mitsura scowled, "Nothing."

"Then what the fuck are you dueling me for!?" Yugi shouted, stomping his foot.

Mitsura just looked back down, and continued shuffling cards.

"Is that briefcase full of nothing but dueling cards?"

"Mostly. I take my entire collection with me wherever I go on tournaments. Please be patient with my process."

"But that don't look legal." Joey pointed to Seto. He couldn't tell if he was lying, or just extremely obsessive with the game. "Gamewise."

"You tell the number one in the world he isn't allowed to create his deck right before he duels, after what he just pulled." Mai snapped, folding her arms under her ample bust.

Joey scoffed. Though he looked impressed at the speed Mitsura shuffled his cards.

"My deck is completed." Mitsura set his deck on his briefcase next to the floor. Then he hid his hands behind said briefcase once more. "Thank you for waiting."

"Good. We duel, you hand me my ass and eliminate me, and I go back home to learn Old Man Solomon is dead, 'cause I don't play this stupid game! Good!" Yugi threw his arms up in the air and spun in a circle of pure dancing frustration.

"Why would I eliminate you?" Mitsura blinked in confusion as he looked up. "I only need two more star chips, and I'm tired of contestants chasing me. In addition, Mr. Pegasus always gives the number one duelist a ridiculous set of conditions when he's personally in the tournament. One of them for this tournament is that he wants me to beat you in a duel. I apologize, but I needed to ensure that you would duel me. That's all."

"You are doing a terrible job of making me feel better." If he hadn't needed to remain in the tournament he would have said no.

"I apologize, but it can't be helped. Please step back."

"I can't believe you're acting this much of a jerk over a children's card game! Kick his ass, Yug'!" Joey shouted.

"Sure." Yugi muttered, with a shrug of his shoulders as he backtracked. "Sure. Put myself on the radar for a game I don't even play. You owe me, Old Man. You're the one who gave me this thing."

'Your friend is lying, Yugi.' The voice coached. 'Look at his posture. He is far too tense for a normal situation. He needs no wealth, or status. He has both with just his last name. The ranking does not matter to him, and he does not appear to be acting this way for his own enjoyment.'

Mitsura spread his arms, and a series of panels lit up across the walkway of golden bricks. The lit up bricks collapsed, and a dueling arena rose from the ground below them. "Oh, perfect." He grinned, and clapped his hands. "I'm giving them all a raise."

'I wish you hadn't said that, Voice.' Yugi wished he was dueling anyone else who didn't have 'Kaiba' as their legal last name.

The voice politely let Yugi know that Yugi was thinking the same thing as well, long before he said anything. 'We will defeat him, as we did the others.'

Mitsura stepped up onto the platform. Then he nodded to Yugi in an upwards direction. "Shall we begin?"