Originally Yu-Gi-Oh Series
Parallel
Chapter 025
Originally Written: Monday, April 11, 2022 821AM to 858AM; 900AM to 937AM
. . . . .
"I get the feeling you don't normally work for individuals who uh, try to cut off your legs over a children's card game." Yugi flopped back against the floor of the circus tent, breathing heavily.
Next to him, a man dressed in a mostly red suit with a teal and black horn-shaped mask on his face, sprawled out face down onto the ground. He stared into the distance, with blank eyes, as if contemplating what just happened. "Did you just assist me?"
"Not in the way you're thinking, no." Yugi rolled over onto his back and stared at the still active buzzsaw spinning just a few inches away from him. He scooted away, trying to pull the man with him. He shook out his hands, unused to, and a little unnerved at the shadows that had previously engulfed them.
"W-why?"
"Because if I can get through life being as short as an eight year old, your dumb ass can get through life with a scarred face and no fiancee." Yugi shrugged, "Or you can take the more logical answer: most people don't want to see another person's legs get cut off, and then have a douchebag essentially kill them by frying their mind."
The man pushed himself up to all fours, still trying to comprehend.
Yugi stood up, and took a deep breath. "C'mon then. Gotta get back to my friends. Pegasus can have a look at you. He likes magic tricks, like the rest of the weirdos, so you'll fit in fine."
The man looked at him, staring.
Yugi stepped out of the tent, and waited by the entrance. 'Man, that was a tough duel.' He sighed dramatically and slumped over. 'I don't know who's worse: Stalker the Yandere or Marik the Murderous Ghoul.'
'You did well.'
'You did all the strategy voodoo.' Yugi wiggled his fingers. 'I just commented every few moves like a spectator.'
'You don't give yourself enough credit, Yugi.'
A tall individual appeared next to him, casting a shadow on his person. "Are you speaking to yourself?"
Yugi looked up at the man, the ex-magician he just dueled. "No..."
"Master Marik does that sometimes. Usually when his assistant is away." The magician spoke, his face blank of emotion. He held out a card to him. "Perhaps, he'll be more useful to you."
Yugi took the card, and looked at the Dark Magician dressed in red and gold arms. "You ever wonder if he actually liked you, but decided to be a complete pain in the butt because you're a dick, Arkana?"
"You're a strange child." Arkana folded his arms. "They aren't real."
"That's a new one." Yugi waved to Solomon, Tea, and Pegasus as they walked to him. Apparently while he was away they picked up Mokuba. The boy didn't look very happy. "Usually they call me a forgettable jerk."
Arkana looked at him in surprise.
Yugi ignored him and ran forward, "Hey Pegasus! I found another one. He's more nuts than you!" He stopped in front of Solomon. "Look at this Dark Magician, Old Man. I didn't know they came in this variety." He hummed at the thrum of energy he felt within the card. Now that he could sense it, Pegasus was gaining his favor quickly. It was like this Dark Magician was telling him 'Hello'.
Arkana looked at the Maximilian Pegasus and nearly had a heart attack. That was before Pegasus told him he was going to look into his mind to see how well Yugi did against defending him from Marik. "Excuse me?"
Pegasus looked over Arkana. Meanwhile, Yugi explained his most recent duel against him. "I didn't think the guy was gonna be in a circus tent. With buzzsaws! And holograms! Like, the fuck?"
Tea giggled.
"Language my boy." Solomon scolded.
"But you let me cuss in the shop all the time." Yugi pouted.
"That's because we're in private. Don't curse all around outside like a child leaving their legos everywhere." Solomon wagged his fingers. "You may injure some toes."
Yugi rolled his eyes. "Sticking with us, magician guy?"
"Yugi." Tea scolded, looking worried.
Both Solomon and Pegasus looked at Yugi in curiosity. As did Arkana.
"I'm not opposed to dying, if it reconnects me to my dear beloved." Arkana stood from the bench he was seated on. He folded his arms, giving off the air of a person who was sufficiently upset. "However, if a man is looking to kill me, I'd prefer if they didn't use magic tricks to do it. That's insulting."
"You speak my language, sir." Pegasus agreed. "Multiple people have tried to kill me over my own card game. Get your own achievement to kill me with."
"Good enough for me." Yugi held up his duel disk. "Blue eyes. Huh, Seto Kaiba played Obelisk the Tormentor in a duel recently."
"Really?" Solomon asked as they crowded around him.
Arkana watched Yugi touch the life points counter on the duel disk and scroll through maps and menus. "I'm quite sure Duel Disks aren't programmed to do that. Didn't you scold me for stripping my cards during our duel?"
Yugi looked at Arkana, completely serious. "Who's gonna tell on the second ranked duelist in the world, when he's allied with Seto Kaiba, the number one? You, Mr. cheater?"
"I see." Arkana chuckled, "Marik's assistant did tell me the game was indeed more rigged than anyone who didn't play would think was necessary."
"Huh? Marik has an assistant? What else did he say?" Tea asked.
Arkna shook his head with a frown. "Not very much, that I remember. Pegasus pointed out quite a few unexplainable blank spots in my memory. I'm not certain how reliable I would be for such things. However, he too would now know that Seto played such a card."
As the group walked through the city, they passed by a bald man with many piercings standing on a bench. While the others were distracted, Yugi looked at him, pointed to him, pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then at the man's, gave him the middle finger, and kept walking. After they passed, the man stepped down from the bench, walked to and slid down a nearby hill.
'Are you certain, Yugi?' Pharaoh asked.
'If Arkana's willing to do what he did during our duel, and the only reason Seeker didn't pull out the gun hidden under his shirt was because Pegasus was standing right there giving him a "Don't you fucking dare, you'll be sniped" glare, then it's better if we duel rare hunters alone.' Yugi looked at the blinking marker on his duel disk.
'What about Pegasus' duty?'
'Let him guard the others, and keep Mokuba from finding Seto. I don't need his protection as much. Besides, Seto and Pegasus hired fucking snipers. Snipers, Pharaoh.' Yugi sent a few images of snipers from his memory to Pharaoh.
'That is a sniper?' Pharaoh responded, suddenly sounding tense and more concerned than ever.
Yugi laughed. He wasn't sure if it was one of growing hysteria or amusement.
Arkana looked back at him without the others noticing, which was easy enough to do since he was in the back of the group. Yugi walked off casually. Arkana wondered what the duelist was thinking. He turned back around. He didn't know what Pegasus did to his mind, compared to whatever Master Marik did, but his mind felt calmer, less chaotic. Combined with what he learned as a rare hunter, this allowed him to think better, and notice things he wasn't sure if he would have otherwise.
"We're being followed by amateurs. I hid with more stealth when I was starting my magic career." At Pegasus' side glance, he lowered his voice. "I'd be more concerned if I were you. They aren't yours."