State of the Meta

by Yung Warrior

A self-insert in which a competitive player from 2016 finds himself warped into the world of GX. Between adjusting his deck to make up for the inverted power creep, making grades, and saving the world, there's much to do, but all good players know how to adapt to their circumstances. SI-OC, 1st Person POV

31. Broken Bonds

Chapter 31: Broken Bonds

(Chazz Princeton POV)

They stayed in San Francisco for another night before leaving for the Princeton estate the next morning. Chazz and Jesse were each taking different flights – Chazz would return to the Princeton estate while Jesse would be going back to his parents' home in Norway for the summer. Jesse vowed to stay in contact, and would try to help Chazz reclaim his dragon in any way he could. But such a tremendous undertaking would be difficult with half the world separating them.

Chazz's blood boiled as he thought of ways to get his dragon back, but he had no proof that Mackenzie and David had stolen his Light and Darkness Dragon apart from Mackenzie's vague threats during their duel, and they were ushered off the stage by their handlers before he could confront them on it. So he decided to call his brothers, thinking that they would help him if only to assuage the family pride or some such nonsense.

"Why did you let it get stolen?" Jagger accused him.

"I didn't let it get stolen, they used some kind of trick to take it out of my deck –" Chazz tried to explain.

"A trick? Like some magician's trick? Give me a break, you probably just forgot it somewhere. The card was bad anyways, so who cares? You should have used our rare cards instead." Slade interrupted, domineering.

"Listen, they- "Chazz tried again.

"It's one card, brother. Forget it. You ought to be more concerned with your position. That was a brutal defeat back there. Meanwhile, that fag you like to pal around with got his opponent to scoop. How do you think your northerners will handle this news? Someone else might be king if you don't assert dominance in a convincing fashion." Jagger said. The elder Princeton brothers had a way of speaking in tandem that always seemed to overwhelm Chazz.

"I will! I'll prove I'm the best!"Chazz finally finished a sentence.

"Good. Next time you face these Americans, you will be ready. If possible, we can arrange for the match to have an ante if it is an official game. Then, you can get this dragon back if you wish." They said dismissively.

Chazz slumped against the wall. How could they be so casual about these thieves! Mackenzie and Rabb were both clearly his enemies, and therefore the Princeton family's enemies by extension, so why wouldn't they help him?! It was maddening!

There was more to it as well; David was clearly using some kind of dark power in his game with Jesse. It was damn lucky that Jesse came out the winner, because Chazz got a really bad vibe from all that smoke and shadow. He had caught wind of some group of mercenaries calling themselves Shadow Riders attacking Duel Academy using shadow magic. Could Mackenzie and Rabb be amongst their employ?

"The place hasn't fallen yet though." Chazz thought. There were plenty of decent duelists there, none so great as himself of course, but they were strong enough. Why should he care either way? That island wasn't his home, never would be.

But there was a sentiment that wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried to squash it. It was made all too clear when he thought of Jaden's smile, of Bastion's honesty, and even the little shit Syrus' determination to be better. And when he thought of Alexis' kindness, and beauty, and patience, and how perfect she was…there was no denying it.

"I made a choice….and I chose wrong." Chazz's face screwed up into an ugly expression before he held his head in his hands and began to cry in the hotel bathroom. "I miss them. All I ever did was push them away and treat them terribly, and yet I miss them now…if only I wasn't so stupid and convinced of my own superiority. But those bridges are burned now…"

Jesse had been a true friend, the first true friend that Chazz had ever really had. And to think that someone like Jaden or even the smarmy fuckhead Lancaster had many Jesses in their lives…it was hard to swallow. And now that Jesse was halfway across the world and one of his duel spirits was stolen from him, Chazz wished he had more friends. But he pushed them all away long ago…

After a time, his eyes dried. And after the sadness came rage. "It's not too late to change things! I'll find a way to get my dragon back, and then those brothers of mine will learn a lesson they won't forget! From now on, I'm doing things my way!"

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(Reggie Mackenzie POV)

"You have done well, Reggie."

Reggie and David both stood ramrod straight, across the desk from the principal of the American Duel Academy in his office, who also happened to be Reggie's biological father. Charles Mackenzie by all accounts presented a kindly image, with his plain salt-and-pepper hair, early wrinkles forming around his lips, and bushy eyebrows. And perhaps once upon a time, that outward presentation represented reality. But Mackenzie knew the truth, and her father was no longer the compassionate man he was when she and David were children.

But she wasn't the same person anymore either. The dark energy had sunk its claws into her long ago, offering an addictive buzz like nicotine. But she refused to give in to it like her father and brother had. They, knowingly or not, allowed themselves to become ravenous beasts in service to an ancient demon. She saw it when her father thought she wasn't looking, when he spoke of debts and repaying them.

"Thank you, father." David inclined his head ever so slightly, a smirk on his face. He didn't seem to realize that Charles had specifically praised her and not him.

"I said Reggie, not you. You have always been too reckless, David. You hid it behind some cryptic words and a smirk, but you know as well as I that the Anderson boy would have defeated you had you not surrendered and spared us all the humiliation a protracted defeat would cause." Charles said coldly.

David was not used to being so sharply rebuked, and his blue eyes were wide with shock and indignation. "As I understood it, the mission was to obtain the Light and Darkness Dragon from Princeton, was it not?! Anderson meant nothing!"

"That was true until he played a Sacred Beast. Did it not seem odd to you that he possessed such a card? Or is your lust for battle such that it overrules your faculties of observation?" Charles continued. David looked down at the floor, his lips twitching as if he had bitten into a lemon. Reggie did not approve of such harsh words, but she also did not want to appear resistant to her father, or rather the demon inhabiting her father's body, in any way. "The dagger in his back will be all the sharper for my discretion."

"I suppose I should be grateful that your vanity got in the way of your recklessness. Your little façade inspired some fear in the Anderson boy, and he will rightly be wary of us now. I doubt he will have his Sacred Beast for long, considering how notoriously possessive Kaiba is of rare cards. When you face him next, he will probably lack that particular asset, and so it is of no concern to us. In time, you will be able to avenge yourself." Charles explained. Then, his lecture to David finished, he turned to Mackenzie once again.

"As I was saying, you fought very well against Princeton. The great King in the North has run back to his family's compound with his tail between his legs. With such a wound to his pride, he will most likely bide his time and come for you again when you least expect it. Normally I would not condone letting such an enemy escape with his life, but killing him was out of the question in a tournament setting."

The implication of his statement was clear. The next time she and Princeton crossed paths, she would be expected to take care of him permanently. "I understand, dad."

He nodded and gave her a sickly imitation of what was supposed to be a fatherly smile. "Thank you, Reg. My little angel." It always made her blood churn whenever the demon spoke such affectionate words, like the ones her real father used to say. But she never let her smooth, cool expression slip for a moment, lest he notice anything was amiss. Then, he held out his hand.

"Now, the card?" He asked gently, but with a dark undercurrent. This would be a pivotal moment in her plans.

"Daddy," She begun in a slightly cloying tone, "I know it's selfish of me, but like you said, I'll probably have to face the little prince again someday. Wouldn't it be rather poetic if the last thing he saw before he died was his own dragon at my command?"

It was a petty and cruel thing to ask, and normally she would find such a thing distasteful, but it was exactly the sort of sentiment this demon could understand. For a moment, there was silence, the father and daughter each searching the other's face for an unspoken sign. David looked between them, the layers of the conversation seeming to escape him.

Finally, Charles closed his eyes and nodded. "It would be a suitable punishment for his arrogance. You have my blessing in this endeavor."

David's eyes widened in understanding, and he turned to Mackenzie as if to confirm his suspicions, but she paid him no regard.

"Which brings me to the next step of the plan. With the dragon in our hands, the next greatest threat to our objective is the white-feathered spirit, the Winged Kuriboh. We know that particular card is the hands of another Central Academy student, the Slifer Red duelist Jaden Yuki." Charles continued.

"Allow me to fight him." David suddenly interjected. "We have all seen the footage of last year's school duel, we know that he and Princeton are of a similar level. I can destroy him for sure!" He nearly shouted with obvious bloodlust.

"Calm down, David. It would be more advantageous for us to handle this situation with more…delicacy. Reggie, I have an enormous task to ask of you. I have heard troubling rumors that Jaden Yuki is not the smiling fool he appears to be. I have heard whisperings of golden eyes and hidden powers from the spirit realm and beyond. This coming semester, I would transfer you to Central Duel Academy for a term to study abroad. While you're there, I would like you to keep a close eye on Jaden If he does anything strange or shows any powers beyond the ordinary, you would let me know. Befriend him and gain his trust. And in time, during a moment of weakness…tear him to pieces and take his Winged Kuriboh

Mackenzie was inwardly surprised. She certainly didn't anticipate anything like this. Charles was certainly placing a lot of trust in her, but this plan worked to her advantage as well. Some distance and time with which to plot against him could only be a good thing for her. But she must not be too eager…

"I will do whatever you deem advantageous." She said with an affected sigh, as if resigned.

He did not seem to view this action with any suspicion. Nodding once, he offered up another one of those disgusting smiles. "Thank you, dear. Do whatever you need to do to get close to the boy."

She had a notion about what getting close to Jaden might entail, but she was not worried about that. "Oh, I will do whatever I need to do." She thought behind the mask. "I will do whatever is needed to bring my father and brother, and banish you away to whatever hell you came from…Tragoedia."

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(Jamie Lancaster POV)

Since I did not know for certain the capabilities of either duelist, the ensuing battle was one I could not predict the outcome of. I watched, frozen as Odion and Hank shuffled and begun the duel as ceremony dictated.

I truly did wish to fight in Odion's place, despite Kaiba's order not to do so. It's not that I thought Odion was a bad duelist, but a part of me did feel responsible for seeing the Sacred Beasts returned, and in the end I trusted my skills more than any other's, arrogant as that might seem. And I disliked Kaiba's constant, overbearing cynicism…I'm not, nor will I ever be, his pawn. He has plenty of instruments and tools…not me. But it appears that Odion will be dueling regardless of what I wish. Before I forgot, I quickly sent out a text to our recently established groupchat. Hopefully Kaiba, Ishizu, Marik and Roland were close.

Odion went first. "I shall set three cards face-down and end my turn." He declared – it appeared that his unconventional form of dueling, which relies heavily on trap cards, persisted to this day. Hopefully it was enough to throw his opponent off-balance, but I doubted it. Marik's cousin probably knew every one of Odion's moves, while he himself doubtless rebuilt his deck to accommodate the addition of Raviel.

"Heh…draw." Now we would see if Hank dueled with the same skill as his cousin. "I'll place two cards face-down before setting a monster. I'll end with that."

Hank was turtling in response, which was an interesting play as it put the impetus on Odion to strike first. However, Marik's adoptive brother looked confident as he drew his next card.

"I activate my trap card, Embodiment of Apophis (1600/1800)! This card also acts a monster, which I can summon now!" A snake-human hybrid slithered through the crypts, wielding a curved cutlass in its strangely scaled hands.

"Attack the set monster!" With deceptive speed, the serpent descended on Hank's monster, revealing it to be Giant Germ (1000/100). Oh boy, between the snake and now this, these guys aren't winning points for aesthetics. But it was a good monster for Hank's intended purpose of summoning Raviel.

"When Giant Germ is destroyed, you take 500 points of damage whilst I get to summon two more from my deck." Odion winced as he coughed up a storm. "Real pain…then this is a shadow game. To think you've fallen this far." But the tomb keeper recovered quickly, still keeping up a stoic countenance. (Odion 3500/Hank 4000)

"Silence! I will not hear any more judgment from a mere tool like yourself!" Hank snarled as two Giant Germs appeared on either side of him.

Odion said nothing to that, which seemed to irritate Hank even more. "I end my turn."

"Draw." Hank smiled after seeing his latest cards. "Again, the gods have granted me what I need to prevail. Can you say the same, Odion?" Not waiting for him to answer, Marik's cousin continued his move. "First, I'll summon Phantom of Chaos (0/0) in attack mode." A swirling mass of shadows furled around his feet and took its place along the floor, next to the twin germs."

Thankfully, Odion spared us all of the inane "woah, it has zero attack points!" remark, instead waiting for his adversary to finish his turn. Thank Ra! Hey, wait a minute…he has three fiends on his side of the field. Oh….oh.

"I'm sure you're wondering what Phantom of Chaos' effect is, but I assure it is not relevant, at least for now. What matters is that I have three fiends on the field. And now…" Suddenly, his three monsters burst into pillars of blue flame, the brightness and intensity of it overwhelming my eyes.

"My spirit wants to be free, and live! I refuse to live in submission, to be bound by the chains of our forefathers! By sacrificing three fiends, I call upon Raviel, Lord of Phantasms (4000/4000)!"

The shadows on the wall were given form, becoming three dimensional shapes. They coalesced and transformed into something greater, finally becoming an enormous blue-scaled titan that resembled what would happen if Obelisk the Tormentor fell in with the goth crowd in high school. I jested, but lame jokes were the thin veil my mind erected to face these eldritch horrors, probably so I wouldn't go insane.

Whatever Odion thought of in moments like this, it didn't show on his face, which remained resolute. Was this what a lifetime of servitude, of duty did to a man? He had scarcely shown any emotion since I had met him. Perhaps Hank had a point about him being more tool than person.

"Lancaster, what does the card do?" Odion spoke up, jarring me out of my reverie.

"It generates a token with 1000 attack every time you normal summon. If he sacrifices a monster, he can add its attack points to its base attack." I quickly explained.

"And you said no immunity to card effects earlier…" Odion said, his frown seeming to lessen for a moment as the gears turned in his head.

"To know what a card does is a different thing than knowing how to stop it! I activate an equip spell, Fairy Meteor Crush! This allows Raviel to inflict piercing damage!" A blazing red aura formed around the front of Raviel's body, its huge frame crowding Hank's side of the room as his guards watched in adulation.

"Attack, and show him the force of a true god!" Clenching its fist, Raviel incinerated Odion's serpent with the force of a single flaming punch. The piercing damage sent Odion tumbling across the room. I stood, ready to catch him, but his weight was so great that I got the wind knocked out of me as I hit the floor. (Odion 1300/Hank 4000)

As we both rose, I felt frustration mounting. "Hey man, if you've still got the kid gloves on, now might be a good time to cut loose. This guy is fighting to kill."

Shoving me away, Odion said, "I know, boy." Before turning his back on me again.

"Ha!" Hank scoffed. "Kaiba's serving boy may have a point, Odion. I was about to ask the same thing, in truth."

"It is a poor trap that the quarry can detect beforehand." The tomb keeper held a cryptic smile, and I felt a twinge of faith in him. Odion was breathing heavily, but was otherwise seemed unharmed. But did he really have a trap for something like this? The only time I have seen Odion duel was against Joey in the Battle City Finals, and not for nothing, but Joey wasn't exactly a strategic mastermind. But then, I did not know what this Hank guy was capable of either, except for the fact that he seemed to be winning right now.

"Your convictions are strong, but the human spirit yearns to be free! It yearns for adventure and wonder, not this life of bondage! Can't you see why I must do this?" Hank seemed to plead with Odion, begging him to see his side. But he may as well have been debating the wind.

"What will you do with this freedom once you have it?" Odion asked.

Hank seemed taken aback for the briefest of moments, but collected himself quickly. "See the world, taste fine food, enjoy the company of a woman, feel the sun on my skin. To dream, and become a real human being, free of old debts. Tell me, can you truly begrudge me for that? Your brother once sought the light as well, and you took the lash for his supposed breach of duty. And yet, when I want the same thing, you take up arms against me." Hank then pointed a finger at me. "That boy has the right to dream, and it's a crime for me to want what he has been given at birth?"

Were his words true? I suppose in theory I was free to do as I chose, but I also had a moral imperative to fight the evils that I knew existed in the universe, and protect this planet in doing so. I was glad to have that mission, because I still wasn't entirely sure what I would do with unfettered freedom in this world. Once the events of the canon series were over and done with, I would become a "normal" person, in essence. It was comforting in a way, to know that simpler days were ahead, but also unsettling on an existential level.

"You were born an Ishtar, so you have a duty. It is better to live humbly and in service to a greater cause. You believe yourself a slave now, but being pulled in every direction by whim and fancy is no better. You will still be empty if you only live for pleasure." Odion was obviously not swayed by Hank's argument. In fact, he was probably the last person on earth that would be won over to that type of thinking. "For the sake of your family, I will give you this one last chance to back down."

"I would probably be more intimidated if you were winning." Hank said frankly, refusing to argue further with Odion. "But even if that were the case, I can never turn back."

Odion closed his eyes, a tight frown on his face. "So be it. It is my turn now. First, I'll activate my face-down card, a trap monster by the name of Abyss Stungray (1900/0)." A luminescent blue manta with intricate white markings on its body slithered onto the field. Odion summoned the monster in defense mode, which was a smart play.

"This monster cannot be destroyed by battle." Odion explained, and Hank was annoyed to find his oh-so ultimate Sacred Beast stymied by simple destruction immunity. " Then, I shall activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Fairy Meteor Crush. I'll set another card and end my turn." Odion seemed to know what he was doing, but it was hard to feel at ease (or anything resembling ease) whilst the big blue guy was staring us down.

"Draw." Hank frowned, clearly not liking his card. I imagined that he had to change many core aspects of his deck in order to better accommodate Raviel. This might well be his very first match with this build, so it's possible that he might make some mistakes. But the question then becomes if Odion, with his passive playstyle, can capitalize on those errors when they happen.

"I summon Sangan (1000/600) in attack mode." An orange-furred, three eyed gremlin scurried onto the field. I assume he put it in attack mode because he wanted to bait an aggressive move from Odion. "Then, I shall end my turn." It appeared that Hank was biding his time as well.

Odion drew silently. "Good, the pieces are in place. First, I'll activate my last face-down, another Embodiment of Apophis!" An identical black serpent slithered down from the walls. Hank watched with keen interest, his violet eyes shining.

"Now, I offer up both of my trap monsters for a tribute summon!" His two monsters dematerialized into white light, that same light coalescing into a large sphere. What was he summoning that could contend with Raviel?

"I summon the legendary planet, a monster that casts judgment on its adversary and instills dread in the hearts of House Ishtar's foes! The Despair Uranus (2900/2300)!" The light around the sphere dimmed to reveal a moon-like object with blue and gold adornments all over. It hovered high above us all, even looking down at Raviel near the ceiling of the pyramid.

"What?!" Hank gasped, his first true show of surprise, and I was in the same boat. How on Ra's green earth did the Ishtars get their hands on a legendary planet?

"I was entrusted with this card four years ago, from Maximillion Pegasus himself. I forget the man's name, but the man who originally designed the planet cards was found dead soon after completing the series, as was his wife. The cards were meant to go to his son, but both Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus agreed that placing ten one of a kind cards in the hands of an orphaned boy would only serve to make him a target, as the boy already had a unique deck that his father built for him." Odion explained.

My eyes widened. "Aster Phoenix…"

"Yes, that was his name. I knew it was something with a Phoenix. Anyways, Pegasus did not seem to like the idea of all the planets gathered together, so he gave me this, with the caveat that I never use it unless absolutely necessary. You at least have the honor of driving me to my limits, Hank." Odion finished, his brown eyes unyielding.

Hank did not seem particularly interested in this little lore dump, clearly more intrigued by the planet's power. "I could make a Uranus joke, but I won't."

Realizing what Hank was implying, Odion immediately starting pronouncing it as "ur-ah-nus", rather than "your-anus" as he was saying it earlier. "Erm…" Was it the lighting, or was that a faint tinge of embarrassment on Odion's face? "Anyways, I'm sure your interested in this card's effect."

"Well, I'm curious mainly because it's being used against me." Hank interjected, and in that moment they seemed more like two family members bickering than ever before.

"When this monster is summoned while I control no spell or trap cards, you must choose between a continuous spell or a continuous trap." Odion's exposition clumsily broke off the banter.

"Which spell and trap?" Hank asked, confused.

"I mean that I can set whichever card of the type you choose from my deck. So choose either a spell or a trap."

"Oh, ok. Eh…I choose a continuous spell. Figure you have less of those." This mundane confusion over wording was kinda killing the tension, but such were the complicated ways of duel monsters.

"Very well. In that case, I shall activate the card I just set! The continuous spell Temple of the Kings! While this card is on the field, I can activate one trap card from my hand per turn! Furthermore, Despair Uranus gains 300 attack points for every face-up spell and trap on my field, and while he is on the field, my face-up spells and traps cannot be destroyed by card effects!" Odion declared as his monster reached 3200 attack points.

"Now, attack Sangan!" Rings of energy shot out from the moon's body, ripping the Sangan to shreds and sending Hank flying backwards. His guards had to catch him before he hit the wall, causing a three-body pileup. (Odion 1300/Hank 1800)

"Argh…" Hank rubbed his head gingerly as he rose to his feet, and when he withdrew his hand, it was spotted red. Crimson beads dotted his white hair, and Hank's hand clenched into a fist. "So, you haven't lost your nerve after all. But neither have I. I would rather bleed a free man than live another day as a tomb keeper."

"Don't say that. Don't make me do something I don't want to do!" Odion warned, concern creeping into his voice.

"I thought it didn't matter what you wanted?" Hank said snidely, and truth be told, it made me uncomfortable how willing he was to die for this. I feared returning to the abyss, while he was courting it recklessly.

Odion had nothing to say to that, so he set the last card in his hand and ended his turn. As Hank drew, his eyes never left Odion's monster. "I'm not an idiot, I know perfectly you must have a defensive trap in order to cover your ass from that previous play. But I'll find a way around it soon…"

Considering his options for a time, Hank finally slid a card onto his duel disk. "I set a monster and end my turn."

Odion drew his next card in equally languid fashion. Breathing a sigh of relief, he slapped down Card of Sanctity on the board. As both he and Hank replenished their resources, I was glad that there weren't really any hand traps in this era. It sure would be a buzzkill if Hank drew Effect Veiler and Maxx C off that Sanctity. I also had to wonder if Odion's face-down was actually helpful or whether it was a bluff.

Either way, Odion was clearly not content with his current level of defense. "I cast forth the Swords of Revealing Light!" Bright green blades descended from nowhere, embedding in the stone and partitioning Hank's side of the field. The extra face-up spell on the board increased Uranus' attack strength to 3500. "Now, you cannot attack for three turns! And due to The Despair Uranus' effect, you cannot destroy the swords with card effects. Next, I shall set a trap, and then activate it due to the effect of the Temple of the Kings! I summon the trap monster Statue of Anguish Pattern (0/2500)!"

From the very ground itself rose a strange, spider-looking artifice with runic patterns painted on a sandalwood body. It was a bizarre card, but I knew it would be quite synergistic with Odion's style of dueling. He now had multiple layers of defense up and protection of those defenses on top of it all. The only problem was that if Hank got one attack off, that would be the game.

"Now, Despair Uranus, attack his set monster!" The sphere launched a more focused beam of light from its center directly at Hank's monster, which was revealed to be Mystic Tomato (1400/1100)." The demonic fruit was instantly fried and then vaporized by the legendary planet's blast, but this played into Hank's hand.

"When Mystic Tomato is destroyed, I can summon a dark monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to the field! I choose to summon Phantom Skyblaster (1100/800)!" A small dark blue demon with bat-like wings and cannons mounted on its shoulders fluttered down the ground, looking like a gnat next to Raviel.

Odion did not look too perturbed by this development, however. "I end my turn."

Hank snapped a card off the top of his deck. "I'm not able to attack, it's true, but during each of my standby phases, Phantom Skyblaster can deal 300 damage to you for each Skyblaster monster on my field!"

Twin spheres of energy launched from the bat's shoulder cannons, exploding on contact with Odion's tall frame. The burly tomb keeper was forced to take a step back, but otherwise handled the strike well. (Odion 1000/Hank 1800)

It was a good idea on Hank's part, I had to admit. Dealing passive burn damage to Odion every turn would force him into an aggressive position, which was obviously not Odion's forte. It would still take four turns to finish him though, so Odion still had some time to make something happen.

"Apart from that, your damnable swords prevent me from finishing this, so I shall set a card and end my turn." Hank played the face-down card as surreptitiously as possible – of course it was a battle trap to protect the Skyblaster. He wouldn't leave the little beast unprotected with a legendary planet facing him down.

But would Odion go for the aggressive play?

The tomb keeper knew that the line between victory and defeat was growing finer. "I'll…" He appeared to be struggling to make a decision. "I set a card and end my turn."

Hank's confidence dared to grow as he drew with a flourish. Like clockwork, the Skyblaster launched another blast at Odion, who hissed in pain despite his surely high tolerance for it. (Odion 700/Hank 1800)

"I will also set a card and end my turn." Hank echoed. They were both shoring up their resources – once the real fight begun again, it would be a chaotic cascade of chains and counters, like a game of Mouse Trap. Only one turn remained until the swords would vanish.

Odion grit his teeth and prepared to take the plunge. "I activate Temple of the Kings effect to play a trap card from my hand. I summon the trap monster Metal Reflect Slime (0/3000) in defense mode!" Onto Odion's crowded field came an ever-shifting mass of silver-mercury goo.

"More defense?" Hank inquired with a note of disappointment.

"No, quite the opposite. When a trap monster is special summoned, my Statue of Anguish Pattern's effect triggers, allowing me to destroy one card on the field!"

The spider-like wooden carving glowed blue with runic magic, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what card Odion was going to destroy. Azure flames conjured around Raviel's body. For a moment, I waited to see if Hank had any defensive response, but Raviel was well and truly burnt down by the flames, disappearing into ash and shadow. I breathed a sigh of relief. Since Hank's strategy primarily focused around summoning Raviel, this would surely be a devastating blow.

And yet, Hank did not frightened, but rather intrigued to see what Odion would do next. Probably because Raviel was off the field, Odion now felt comfortable going for a fatal blow on the Skyblaster. This would be the deciding move!

"This rebellion of yours is over, coz! Despair Uranus, attack his Phantom Skyblaster and end this!" Odion bellowed.

Hank sighed. "I suppose it was a fine enough strategy, Odion. It lacked…creativity, but what could I expect, really? Activate reverse card, Ring of Destruction!"

I think my eye twitched. That card, the flaming ring, has always been a harbinger of an unexpected reversal, an outcome that none truly thought could be possible. But he couldn't target Uranus with it, that would only cause the duel to be a draw. Unless….

Odion knew it as well, and he closed his eyes in resignation. The fiery halo closed in around the Phantom Skyblaster, which would result in a blast just strong enough to defeat Odion while preserving some of Hank's life points. It was a cunning move, and using Raviel as a misdirection was smart, I had to admit it. Odion and Hank were sent hurling to the ground as the makeshift bomb went off. But while Hank eventually rose, covered in ash though he was, Odion curled on the floor in pain. (Odion 0/Hank 700)

Black tendrils of smoke furled around Hank's fingertips. In a moment, I gaped in shock as Odion was pressed against the inner walls of the pyramid by the dark energy. Hank lifted one hand up as if to hold Odion in place. The rebel's white-blond hair was blackened by soot, as was his face, making the purple eyes of the Ishtar clan glow all the brighter. It coiled around Odion like shadowy ropes, holding down his arms and holding his head up so that he had no choice but to look Hank in the eye.

The victor glanced at his five guards. "Leave now and find some horses. Outside of my house is a jeep that we got from town. We'll take that out of here." Obediently, the co-conspirators took their leave, their footsteps growing dimmer as they weaved through the pyramids.

Hank stepped forward into the torchlight, and his expression was not crazed or even triumphant, but solemn. "And so, my chains are broken."

Odion strained desperately against the binds, but there was nothing he could do. He looked at me as if I could do anything to help. Frankly, I was frozen. "I failed…" Odion muttered, ashamed.

"No." To my surprise, Hank contradicted him. "I have prevailed, but not because of some failing on your part. It is as I said earlier – someone fighting to prop up an unjust hierarchy cannot prevail against the spirit yearning to be free."

How poetic. In my opinion, Hank won because he drew the right cards at the right time, not because his cause, which boiled down to hedonism, was just. But then, perhaps there was something to be said for one's will affecting the cards in this world…

"What now? Will you take up arms against my siblings as well? Against our entire house!?" Odion spat.

"You know, some would think you deserving of death for how vigorously you defend this horrid system, built on blood and burnings and sickened spirits. Perhaps it would be smart to kill you both and burn your bodies, so that our beloved house would never learn of your shame, Odion…" Hank said in a delicate, sardonic tone.

Cold fear gripped me, but somehow my tongue was working on autopilot. "It would be, unless you honestly believe Kaiba and the Ishtars would never put two and two together. Besides, there's probably some kind of ancient curse that comes with killing guys in a pharaoh's tomb. Just to be safe, you should be probably keep us alive."

Odion gave me a strange look, while Hank starting laughing. "You are an amusing boy, I'll give you that. But I was kidding. All I wanted was my freedom, and once my men return with the car, I shall have it. I'll admit the thought occurred to me to burn all this down, but then the shackled would be worked twice as hard to rebuild it. Soon enough, others will follow my example and stoke the embers within their souls…but for now, I must be content with my own independence. I suppose I should make haste, since you probably already called the others over here." He said casually. I tilted my head and shrugged as if to say "What was I supposed to do?" This guy was strangely affable – maybe if I could keep him talking, I could stall him long enough for the others to arrive.

That plan went out the window when I felt Odion's burly frame slam into mine, sending us both to the floor. With a flick of his hand, Hank sent Odion flying into me, causing one of the nearby torches to fall from the wall. The wind was knocked out of me and I felt sharp pain in my back as I hit the ground. Odion was disoriented and in immense pain, so it was difficult getting him off of me. By the time I got up, Hank had already disappeared into the depths of the pyramid, doubtless setting up traps along the way in case we pursued.

The anger suddenly shot through me like a geyser. "FUCK!" I bellowed, the curse echoing through the crypt. It was probably some sort of sin to swear in a holy tomb, but I didn't really give a shit at the moment. Where the fuck where the others?

As if cue, I could hear them coming. Marik was first in, followed by a prompt Roland. After them were Kaiba and Ishizu. For some reason, both of them were breathing harder than Marik and Roland, and Ishizu seemed rather flushed.

"Odion!" Ishizu cried out with worry after seeing her brother prone on the floor. Her and Marik rushed over to his side.

"What happened? Are you badly hurt?" Marik asked in a surprisingly gentle tone of voice.

"I...I failed completely. Hank defeated me soundly and managed to escape." Odion choked out. I wouldn't say he defeated him soundly, it was a good game, but Odion seemed pretty hard on himself.

"What do you mean he escaped? I thought you said all of your vehicles were accounted for?!" Kaiba roared.

"He said that he got a car from town…" I trailed off.

"Well let's find them, now! If we hurry, we can get back to the compound and start scanning the area by air!" As Kaiba spoke, Roland already began typing something in on his phone, presumably contacting our pilot.

Ishizu gave Kaiba a reproachful look. "Odion requires medical attention! We cannot just leave him here."

"I'll…I'll be fine-" Odion started to say before a round wracking coughs cut him off.

"Oh, knock it off, brother." Marik said, seemingly exasperated. "Enough of this self-sacrifice. You mean a lot to us, and it's important for you to be treated well." I was surprised – such words were certainly a far cry from Marik's attitude in the Battle City tournament.

While Kaiba silently fumed, Ishizu called some of the compound's first responders. Of course, if it had been Mokuba or even Roland who got injured, Kaiba would have dropped everything to see them taken care of, but I dared not give voice to that little observation. Smart of the Ishtars to have some medical professionals on site, a twenty-plus minute drive from the nearest town would be potentially quite costly.

Marik and I carried Odion outside, an extremely cumbersome act due to the narrow halls, though the main path outside wasn't nearly as cramped as the secret way Odion and I entered through. Beside the two horses Odion and I rode in on, there was a busted old jeep that I assumed the other four arrived in.

In ten minutes, a group of five paramedics arrived on the scene, declaring that Odion's injuries would not be life threatening, but there was some burning as well as blunt force trauma and concussive damage. It could have been a lot worse. Hank was surprisingly merciful – did he still bear some familial affection for Odion, despite the latter's adopted status? Or did he lack the will to kill, and merely hid it behind pragmatic rationalization? Either way, it was not such a high cost this time.

"Christ, is that the sort of man I am now?" I thought as Odion was loaded onto a stretcher. "Thinking of such costs like this as cheap? Sure, things could have been worse, but that doesn't make this alright." Although on some level I sympathized with Hank's desire for freedom, there was no question that Raviel would have to be stripped from him. Of course, Kaiba would hunt him to the ends of the earth with or without my approval on the matter, a fact that caused a rumbling of discontent within me. "One way or another, Kaiba gets what he wants…"

Once Odion was safely in care, the remaining five of us rode back to the compound, Marik and I taking the horses while Ishizu drove Kaiba and Roland back with the jeep. The ride back was silent but for the sound of hooves stamping against the sand. After we got back, we watered our mounts before returning them to the stables. As the horses drank from freshly filled buckets, Marik turned to me.

"Thank you for your help, Lancaster." Hey, he remembered "my" last name.

"I did next to nothing." I said ruefully. "Next time, I wouldn't mind getting my shot at him, though."

"You'll have to content yourself with whatever is left of my dear cousin once I am finished with him." Marik said with a dark chuckle. "Hank might be getting a little reunion with the old me, up close and personal." I felt a chill run through me.

When we got back to the others, I found that Kaiba and Ishizu had already developed a plan of action. "The closest city of any size is Al Minya to the north. I am certain Hank will try and lose us there and try to book a flight, though I can't be sure how much money he has to his name. I will work with what contacts I have there and see what can be done." Ishizu explained briefly to us.

"We'll stay in contact. My resources are already spread thin trying to find the other beasts, so any assistance you could offer would be. As is, we should return to Domino. I left Mokuba in charge in my absence, and knowing him he probably got his ass kidnapped again." Kaiba sarcastically jested.

"You shouldn't joke about such things, Seto." Ishizu calmly reprimanded.

Kaiba evenly met her eyes before shaking his head. "Always the wet blanket." Turning to Roland and I, he asked if we were both prepared to leave. We both nodded, and in that moment I suddenly realized how tired I was, not just because of lack of sleep, but just in general. This world was so much more complicated than I thought it would be at first, and there is only so much I, a single man, can do to change things for the better.

Marik merely gave us a silent wave before returning to his chambers, no doubt plotting some kind of vengeance. Ishizu gave us a warmer farewell.

"Thank you for your assistance, gentlemen. I'm sure we will be able to track him down in due time." She said diplomatically, covering the top of her head with her shawl.

"Well, we have plenty to do on our end in the meantime." Kaiba replied. More silent words seemed to be shared between them, and I was starting to wonder if this relationship was purely professional in nature. I hoped this wasn't their idea of subtlety if my suspicions were correct.

"Be safe, Seto." Ishizu smiled warmly. "And you two as well." She hastily amended the statement to include Roland and I. "I hope your internship is profitable and educational, mister Lancaster. Just try not to pick up your bosses bad habits." As she spoke, Kaiba was off to the side lighting up a dart.

"Thank you, miss. It was a pleasure meeting you all, if only it was under better circumstances." I said politely.

"Indeed, but it is such circumstances that forge us into something stronger." She said.

XxXxXxXXxXxxXXXXxXxXxXxXXxx

I got some fitful sleep on the plane, but if anything it only made me more exhausted than before. Roland seemed to rest just fine, never moving a muscle even while slumbering. I wonder if he trained to be so still or if it came naturally to him. Part of me was beginning to think Roland was a robot, but he did have kids, so that possibility is unlikely…

Kaiba never slept a wink that I saw. On the contrary, his fingers scarcely left his laptop keyboard except for when he would take an occasional quaff of Crown Royal Vanilla straight up.

"Ah, you're up." He handed me the bottle of liquor wordlessly, and I decided to take a pull for the hell of it. Kaiba let out a noise that was between a chuckle and a scoff. "There's a good man. I offered Misawa a shot of Malibu the other day and he made some lame excuse about how he's sixteen years and thus below the legal drinking age. What a pussy."

"Bastion is a very letter of the law kind of guy." I said.

"Hmm." Kaiba quickly pulled up a web page and seemingly forgot about me. After a minute, I said, "Was there something you needed from me, sir?"

"Huh? Oh, right. I found out some interesting information regarding the whereabouts of Hamon. Turns out it was sighted during an exhibition match between the American Duel Academy and North Academy. The game wasn't televised outside North America, but one of my contacts sent me a recording."

"North Academy?" I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

"Yes. There were two games happening at once. The number one students of both schools, Reggie Mackenzie and Chazz Princeton, dueled, with Princeton losing." Kaiba explained.

Wait a minute, Reggie Mackenzie? That name sounded really familiar…oh, you have got to be kidding me! Does Tragoedia exist in this universe as well, then? I'll have to pencil that in on the ol' to-do list at some point. And it looks like Chazz lost…not that I was particularly upset because of that fact, but it would be a problem if they somehow managed to steal his Light and Darkness Dragon.

"But that is none of our concern. The other match featured David Rabb and Jesse Anderson, who for some reason is wearing a fucking cowboy costume in the video. Anyways, Anderson manages to turn the tables on Rabb by summoning…guess who?" Kaiba finished with a tilt of the head.

"From all I have heard, Anderson is an honorable man. I'm sure he wouldn't mind returning Hamon if he realized its importance." I said, glad that that card at least had not ended up in the hands of Mackenzie or Rabb. I had sort of forgotten about Jesse, but he could be a great ally to have.

"And would you have any idea about these Crystal Beasts he uses?" Kaiba squinted at the screen.

"Oh, those? They are one of a kind, given to him by Pegasus himself, or so I hear. But they're not so powerful." I replied succinctly.

Kaiba frowned at the mention of Pegasus' name. "Oh goody, it's like a trip down memory lane these days. At any rate, knowing that Hamon is in the hands of a known student is a far better prospect than having it in the hands of some Ishtar vagabond. Uria could still be anywhere for all we know…"

He was starting to look tired now, but the resolve in his eyes never wavered. "But I will handle this later. You and Roland will go back to your regular duties at headquarters on Tuesday after your vacation day. You should go the beach or whatever the fuck it is you teenagers like to do on Monday, it looks like it'll be nice weather for it."

It was a confusing remark. Was he being…nice? But as I looked at the missed call notification from Alexis on my phone, I didn't think it was such a bad idea.

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed.

Our escapade to Egypt was a bit short, but I assure you that it's all setting up for plots down the road, while also expanding the world a little bit. It's good to take a break from the Academy, at least for me as a writer lol. I hope you all found the change of scenery refreshing as well.

I tried to make the conflict between Odion and Hank more grey in comparison to the usual hero vs villain type of battles. Sure, Hank's a bit smug, and Odion is allied with our protagonist, but I attempted to give both sides some sympathetic aspects to them. Hank seems very ambitious from Odion's perspective, but he really isn't – all he wants is to realize the ideal of freedom that has been fermenting in his mind for many years, and Raviel is the tool by which he was able to make that reality. You could say that he is an antagonist who is not totally villainous, as of this moment in time, but I am not terribly fond of Trope labels.

Meanwhile, we've got Chazz licking his wounds while Mackenzie, David, and their father scheme. Mackenzie and David's father is not given a first name in the manga, instead they went with the asinine choice of merely calling him "mister Mackenzie", so I literally just went on an "American Male Name" generator online and went for the first name that popped up for the sake of convenience. Idk why the mangaka didn't give him a first name haha, so I decided to take the liberty. Mackenzie will be going undercover at the beginning of what would be Season 2 in the anime...so needless to say Academy Island is going to see many differing ambitions clash before long.

Next time we're having a beach episode, as all anime must have! Look it up, it's actually a law. Like I will literally go to prison (again) if I do not put a beach episode in. But it's not filler, there will be other events happening as well. It's been hard for me to write lately, but I'm doing what I can. We'll catch you guys next time!