Okay, new information popped up on Youtube regarding the Battle City Tournament. It was incredibly informative and helpful. Combining this with a bit of 'The Sacred Cards' logic, the duel between Paul and Anakin had the Ante Rule, but not the Locator Cards on the line. The video illustrated the parameters of the Battle City Tournament. There were 48 duelists, and only 8 Duelists got to the finals, meaning there was no extra Locator Cards. Given how certain people got their Locator cards, there were at least 20 Rare Hunters officially in the Tournament, if not more to have Marik and Odion get into the finals without actually winning a duel, as well as having the Exodia and Strings Duelists lose one locator card each to Yugi, as well as Lumis and Umbra losing two locator cards each for Yugi and Kaiba.
It was also explained in the video about the ranking system being 1-8 stars in the Japanese, while 1-5 Stars in the English Dub. This explains why a 4-star rating was given to Joey to allow him a Duel Disk by the rare hunter plant in the store and a 5-star rank for Yugi for the automatic Duel Disk gift.
So yeah... last chapter's dispute? Not even relevant to the primary story, but... it's important to the spirit of the Tournament nonetheless!
Disclaimer: RDF1 doesn't own anything in this fic, technically not even the original content.
(Chapter Begin)
(Recap)
The Battle City Tournament continues into its second day. The duels are getting harder and even though Yami has won Slifer, he's still a long way from saving the world. Can Maria help him, even though she's sided with Seto Kaiba? Only time will tell...
(Recap End)
Maria stretched and yawned a bit as she got out of her car. She was overdue for some lunch. She never understood why dueling made one hungry afterwards, in ancient times, it was a bit different and only so few people really dueled in the grand scheme of things. Driving out to a nearby cafe, she relaxed a bit while enjoying some quiet for a change. Though it didn't last for long as she felt Dark Energy moving through the city. One she was unfamiliar with, which was presumably Marik, but the other... she knew it, but it didn't make sense. Yami was the only one who sealed his spirit into a Millennium Item. It was times like this that she missed her Millennium Ring. When all was said and done and Yami turned over the Kingdom to Seto, she eventually rose and accepted the Ring to honor the memory of her Master.
(AN1)
She was finishing up her desert and tea when her phone rang.
"Hello?" greeted Maria.
"Hey Girl, what's up!" came the voice of Serenity.
"Hey you!" replied Maria, "Just finishing up some lunch. How are your eyes recovering so far?"
"I've got good news from the Doctor," informed Serenity, "I'm all cleared to get the bandages removed tonight. I know you're involved with the Battle City Tournament and all, but could do your friend a solid and pick me up for the Battle City Finals?"
"This is a bit last minute," stated Maria, checking the time.
Would Seto say anything about helping out Serenity? They seemed to have a good first meeting. Though she did leave out the fact that Serenity was Joey's Sister. Maybe this could help Seto accept Joey as a decent duelist, even though Joey would never be at Seto's level.
(AN2)
After weighing the pros and cons, she gave a smile and replied, "Alright, I'll swing by the Hospital in a couple of hours and pick you up. Is your mother able to sign the paper work for me to pick you up?"
"Sure thing. I'll ask the Nurse to call her and get everything worked out. Looking forward to hearing you in person soon!"
"See you then, Serenity!" finished Maria, before hanging up.
Finishing up her meal, Maria paid her bill and headed to her car. She had a friend to see.
(AN3)
Two hours later, Maria pulled up to the Hospital where Serenity had been staying for the duration of her recovery. A Nurse was waiting with Serenity as Maria pulled up. As the Nurse helped Serenity into the car, Maria helped her get settled into the passenger seat. It was going to be a long drive and there was much to catch Serenity up on. Because Serenity still had her bandages on, Maria was able to focus more on the road as they headed back to Domino City. While they were on the road, Maria updated Serenity on how the tournament was progressing. One of the things Maria did was check on Joey's status so as to reassure Serenity that her brother was not only looking forward to the finals, but looking forward to seeing her again too.
(AN4)
"Plus, You get to meet Seto officially," said Maria, smirking a bit, "And you can finally see why he feels like you met him before."
"MARIA!" shouted an embarrassed Serenity, her face blushing.
"Actually, I think there's something I haven't been fully honest about with you," said Maria, her tone turning serious as she double checked her surroundings while changing lanes, "We've been friends a long time and I feel like I can trust you with the full truth."
And so, Maria explained her reincarnation, the memories of her past life, and why she chose to work for Seto Kaiba.
"But, if you reincarnated, why are you older than everyone else?" asked Serenity.
"Wait, you believe me?" asked Maria, a bit shocked.
"You're my friend, and I know you wouldn't lie to me without good reason. And a story like that is too intricate to lie about. There's no point to lie so specifically about that," replied Serenity, "plus, it would kinda make sense."
"Why?" asked Maria.
"Because when I was little, I had dreams of having white hair and living in a desert," said Serenity, "So if you were reincarnated from Ancient Egypt, then maybe I was too."
"White hair?" asked Maria, her eyes narrowing a bit, "That's unusual at such a young age. I only know of one person who had white hair that young, and that was in Ancient Egypt."
(AN5)
Before they could continue their conversation, Maria's phone rang and she answered it.
"Talk to me," said Maria.
"Ma'am, it's bad news. Mr. Mokuba Kaiba has been abducted!" informed the employee over the phone.
If it wasn't for Serenity in the car making her more careful, she might have driven off the road with that information. Mokuba was already becoming like a little brother to her.
"Who was it?" demanded Maria, while keeping her focus on driving.
"It was the Rare Hunters. We also received word from Mr. Kaiba to track down Joey Wheeler's duel disk signal. But it's been blocked for over an hour now."
"(Sigh) Dang it, Seto and Mokuba are going to be angry at me, but I'll take the heat from them later," said Maria, "I'm going to give you a code to enter. That will activate a tracker I placed in Mokuba's Picture Frame that he wears around his neck. That will lead me to him. I'm sure I'll find Joey there as well. Now, enter the following code: M-Felgrand28."
"Understood Ma'am," replied the employee. A few moments later, "I have the signal. It's currently moving towards the Pier. Apparently Mokuba managed to escape and reunite with Mr. Kaiba. Mr. Wheeler's Signal is also coming from that location as well."
"Thank you, I'll head there now," said Maria, before hanging up, "Sorry about that, Serenity, but it looks like our reunion with Joey may not be as soon as you think. His current location is a bit farther than either of you wanted."
"I just hope everyone's okay. You mentioned the name 'Mokuba'? Is he related to Seto?" asked Serenity.
"He's Seto's younger brother," explained Maria, "I secretly placed a tracker in a picture frame he wears around his neck. Seto has one too. It's a backup in case they lose touch with the company."
(AN6)
"That's nice of you, Maria," said Serenity, "I'm starting to worry about Joey. I hope he's not trouble."
"You're brother's got some luck on his side. He'll be fine. Now, it'll take us another 30 minutes to get there. Just relax for now. Let me worry about getting you to your brother."
Serenity nodded and sat back, trying to take everything in. She would need this time to organize her thoughts as well. Maria gave her a lot of information to sort through, especially her own childhood dreams as well. And then there was her eyesight. She felt like it wasn't natural for her eyesight to suddenly worsen like that, and if there was a larger picture connecting everything, then she could only hope, trust, and pray that the surgery worked and keep the faith that she will see her brother again. That she will be able to see again period.
Maria gave a small smile when she heard light snoring from Serenity. She'll need the rest now since she doesn't need to be stressing herself out right now. Plus, given how late the day will get, this nap will help her stay awake later. She fibbed a bit about the 30 minutes, but wanted her get some sleep while she made a small stop and picked up some food for her. Serenity was going to be hungry when she woke up, and Maria needed the extra energy for the late night herself.
Maria was getting close to the pier now. Serenity had woken up and enjoyed an early dinner. She was looking forward to seeing her brother again, but given what she learned, she was worried about the state Joey was in. When they closed in the signals, they found a square pier with an opening in the middle standing out from the wharf. As Maria pulled to a stop, she helped Serenity out as she surveyed the situation.
Joey and Yugi were dueling, while Téa was trapped in a chair with a container hanging over over that was operated by a remote held by Tristan. Maria instantly understood what was happening. After talking with Serenity, Joey, Téa, and Tristan got captured by the Rare Hunters and mind controlled.
(AN7)
"Seto, let me guess: Marik?" queried Maria as she guided Serenity over to the Kaiba brothers.
"Yes, I've done my best to deny this as a mind trick, but ironically this is a Mind Trick," glared Seto, "I'm guessing it's one of the powers of the Millennium Rod he carries."
"Good guess," replied Maria, before turning to Mokuba, "Mokuba, this is Serenity, Joey's sister. Please look after her in case Seto and I need to act."
"You got it," said Mokuba, before grabbing one of Serenity's hand, "I'm Mokuba, Seto's little brother."
"Nice to meet you, Mokuba," said Serenity, smiling a bit, "Is Joey dueling?"
Maria stopped Serenity with a hand on hers, "Not yet. You will know when the time is right, so don't rush it."
With only minutes to spare, the duel wasn't looking in Yugi's favor. A weakened Red Eyes and Beast of Gilfer was protecting Yugi, but given Yugi's life Points being 1000, he probably took quite a bit of effect damage.
"You have a plan to stop Tristan and save Téa, Seto?" asked Maria.
"Yes, but it will require precise timing. If I know Yugi, he'll have a tactic to stall just long enough to break Marik's concentration on Téa and allow me to get that container away from her."
"Good," replied Maria, noticing the timer, "Because we don't have long now."
Téa was pleading with them to save Yugi and Joey and not worry about her. Eventually Tristan got tired of waiting in the driver seat and jumped out.
"I wouldn't dare if I was you," said the mind controlled Tristan, his hand showing the remote.
Kaiba then used his communicator in his collar to inform the helicopter pilot of his part in the plan. Yugi reached out to Joey, who fought again and again against Marik, who used the full power of the Millennium Rod to force Joey to activate Meteor of Destruction seconds before Joey forced him out for good.
Maria smirked, Jono's reincarnation proved his inner strength against a Millennium Item, which was a short list that she knew of and learned from the other Millennium Item wielders in Ancient Egypt.
With Marik's focus broken, Kaiba signaled the Helicopter Pilot, who remote controlled an empty helicopter. Tristan instantly attempted to press the button, but Kaiba throw the top card of his deck at him, a Blue Eyes White Dragon, knocking the controller out of his hand. Before Tristan could grab the remote, Maria closed in and focusing a bit of her magical power, punched Tristan out, and suppressing the control Marik had over him. The Eye of Udjat fading from Tristan as it did Téa earlier, not that Maria knew Marik could still take control of Téa in that instance. The Helicopter grabbed the top of the crane that was holding the container and forced it into the ocean, containing the ensuing explosion, getting Tèa out of danger. Mokuba raced over to release Téa.
Meanwhile, Yugi had let the Meteor strike him after using a trap to stop it long enough for Joey to break free. In the final seconds the bomb had reset to 30 seconds. Joey used that time to have Red Eyes blast him, resulting in an official tie for the duel. He then grabbed onto his chain and swung Tarzan-style across to Yugi to grab the key to his shackle.
Serenity, while this chaos was going on, felt her eyes glow for a moment, as she briefly heard a voice asking her for help. Granting that request she also felt the need to remove her bandages become unavoidable and once she did so, her first sight coming into focus was Joey swinging over to help Yugi. Noticing he grabbed a key before the bomb went off and the Anchor started dragging Yugi and Joey into the ocean.
'Oh no! I can't let Joey die!' thought Serenity, calling out to the voice from before, to grant her strength to help her brother.
(AN8)
Serenity dashed over to where Joey's key was, grabbed it, and dove after her brother.
"SERENITY!" came the voice of Maria, along with Téa, Seto, and Mokuba.
The next several seconds were intense. Maria could have sworn she saw a small glow. Not long after, Joey and Serenity broke the surface. Everyone helped the three out of the water. Minutes passed in silence as everyone caught their breath over the dangerous situation they barely made it out of.
"Thank you, Kaiba," said Yugi, turning to him, "For everything."
"My family had a debt to you and it's paid. That's all there is to it," huffed Seto, looking away with a frown.
"So you're Seto Kaiba," said Serenity, "I want to thank you as well. Who knows what could have happened if you didn't help out today."
Seto blushed, not that anyone could see it as he turned around. Coughing, "Anyways, I think it's time we left. I will see you at the finals. Come on, Mokuba, Maria."
"If it's alright, I'm gonna hang out with Serenity," smiled Maria, "It's been too long since we spent some real time together."
"Very well, just don't be late," sighed Seto as he and Mokuba left the group.
"Thank you Serenity," said Joey, "and thank you Maria, for bringing her here safely."
"I'm just glad I was available to help out. Who knows what would have happened if she had to get here with Public Transportation," chuckled Maria, though she had an idea considering how much effort Marik went to today.
"And congratulations on getting your sight back, Serenity," cheered Téa.
"Thank you Téa," said Serenity, "it's nice to see you all for the first time."
"First time in a long time, girlfriend!" cheered Maria, grabbing Serenity in a side hug, "Now, unless I'm mistaken, we have finals to get to. The Deadline is growing ever closer."
The group nodded.
"So after getting all six locator cards, what's next?" asked Joey.
"Place your six locator cards in the spell/trap card slots of your duel disk, which includes the field spell zone. The System will recognize the authorization for revealing the location of the Battle City Finals," informed Maria, "it also gives you a verbal reminder of how much time you have left, and there is no extension for anyone, not even Seto Kaiba himself."
Joey did exactly that, getting the location and the amount of time left before the finals began. The destination wasn't too far away, but even with a vehicle they would be cutting it to just under an hour. Luckily, Maria drove a seven-seater, so everyone was able to pile into her car as they headed towards the finals.
(Chapter End)
And thus the first real change of the timeline. Since Maria picked up Serenity and drove her directly to where Joey was, Tristan doesn't get his time with Serenity and thus becomes a mind slave as well. Nearly everything else is the same. Don't worry, since Tristan is the fourth wheel of the group, Marik's not going to think of using him again. And after a certain event, it won't even matter anymore anyways. Sorry if you wanted Mind Controlled Tristan again so soon.
Since Tristan isn't taking Serenity, they don't run into Duke Devlin, or Mai Valentine. How will that change things? Time will tell.
Alright, on to Author Notes...
AN1: Need some more time padding while the plot continues. Plus, touching on the fact that Marik and Yami Bakura have met. Maria hasn't actually met Bakura in the current day. She knew about Téa and Joey because of Téana and Jono. Tristan was there because he was a fourth wheel, so it didn't take much to learn about him. But Bakura isn't apart of the core group, so she isn't aware of him. Also, some backstory and a bit of headcanon to tie into Maria's magical power.
AN2: Yeah, semi-intentional in leaving out that tidbit. Seto's going to have to walk a fine line to keep Serenity happy while also insulting Joey.
AN3: Again, cutting Tristan out of his interaction with Serenity. Sorry Tristan, this isn't the story where you get the girl.
AN4: And again, more time padding, so more original scenes. Hope you enjoy it!
AN5: Foreshadowing someone you all know so well. Also, From what we know, Mana never met Kisara in Ancient Egypt, so that's why she doesn't remember Kisara, but knows that Seto mentioned her.
AN6: She was already left behind once before. She wasn't going to let that happen again, at least not when she wants to be there.
AN7: Okay... that was a misstep. Of course, since Tristan didn't separate from Joey's group, he was there to see Bakura and "Namu," he was also there when the Rare Hunters cornered them, and since numbers won out over even Tristan's voice empowered Super Strength (YGOTAS reference btw) he got Mind Controlled too. Oops!
AN8: Who's the voice calling out to Serenity and vice versa? That you'll have to figure out.
For those reading my other stories, I am working on them. I just tend to have other things take priority. I also forget at times. I AM HUMAN, okay! Until next time...
Later,
RDF1
