A Dragon's Destiny

by Magi Mana

Talesverse. Kisara is a new student at Domino, returning after years of being away. She sees her childhood friend Seto has become cold and distant while she quickly makes friends with his soon-to-be rivals Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler. While facing the return of the Shadow Games, Kisara will have to face both her past with Seto and the truth about the Millennium Items.

15. Duel Monsters is Now a Video Game

I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, I would totally make the Legendary Heroes video game. And I'd probably be playing it all the time.

Chapter Fifteen: Duel Monsters is Now a Video Game

"Mr. Kaiba," Crump tried to keep the surprise out of his voice and failed, to Mokuba's amusement. The accountant's black mustache dropped into a frown. The thunderstorm outside the window matched the doom and gloom drawn on the faces of the five members of board of directors.

"What an unexpected surprise," Gangsley added. Mokuba recognized the look on the head of business's face, the one he wore when handling negotiations on behalf of KaibaCorp.

"Yes, I'm sure it is, you treacherous snakes," Seto icily addressed the board of directors. Mokuba bit back a smile as the five members each showed a look of fear. "You see, I know all about your partnership with Pegasus and the scheme you had to take over my corporation."

"That's right," Mokuba chimed in, happy he was able to back up his brother. They should have known better than to try to kidnap him. Seto didn't let anyone get away with hurting Mokuba. And Mokuba wasn't going to forget his time in Pegasus's castle anytime soon. "What you guys did was really messed up. Working with that creep to try and get rid of my brother and me—you guys are sick."

"You're all fired, and I suggest you leave now before I really lose my temper and take more than just your jobs," Seto glared at each member.

"But let us explain!" Ganglsey pleaded.

"Don't test me, you slime," Seto cut him off.

"Seto, if you simply let us speak, you'll understand why we did what we did," the bald businessman pressed on. Mokuba glared at him. He didn't trust the businessman at all; he barely trusted him when Seto enlisted the board's help when overthrowing Gozaburo years ago.

"That I doubt," Seto scoffed.

"The sole reason we formed this so-called partnership with Master—pardon, Mr.—Pegasus was to rescue you," Johnson, the legal advisor, pushed his glasses up farther on his nose as he spoke.

"Yes, Johnson is absolutely, right," Gangsley said. Mokuba could see they were scrambling to appeal to Seto, not that it would work. Nobody crossed Seto. Ever. "Pegasus was the one who wanted your company, and we thought perhaps if he had some sort of phony alliance with him, it would lead us to you."

"You expect us to believe that?" Mokuba couldn't believe these guys. They went too far for just a ploy. They threw Mokuba right into Pegasus's clutches! He scowled at them, looking to Seto for their next move.

Gangsley leaned into hands, ever the negotiator. "Seto, we had no intention of taking over KaibaCorp. In fact, we've been waiting for your stamp of approval before we send out our latest product. It's your virtual pod. We've readied it for market distribution."

"You have?" Seto's expression gave nothing away, even to Mokuba. "Impressive. But don't think that means you're off the hook. Any of you."

"Yeah, you tell him," Mokuba cheered for his brother.

He recognized the look in Seto's eyes as he thought over the possibility of the pod's success. "At last, Mokuba, my virtual adventure game is ready to be tested," Seto smirked. He turned and left the board to wonder what their overall fate would be.

"Seto, wait!" Mokuba trotted to catch up to his brother, following him into the elevator. "You just got back yesterday. Why do you have to try it out right now?"

"You don't need to worry about it, Mokuba," Seto assured him.

"But it could be a trap!" Mokuba insisted. The board had already betrayed them once. Who's to say they wouldn't do it again?

"You're forgetting, Little Brother, I designed each and every program in this game myself," Seto told him. The elevator doors opened, letting them out not far from the room Seto's pod was stored in. "You know how long I've been waiting for this moment, and now it's finally here."

They entered the dark lab; sensors registered their presence and turned on the lights. In the center of the room, the pod stood open and ready, connected to several terminals. "Isn't it beautiful? And at last it's finished."

Mokuba smirked. Seto always saw his own technology as beautiful. But he wasn't wrong. No one could design anything better than Seto. The brunet situated himself in the pod, and the machine powered up, the visor lowering itself over his eyes. "Insert dueling deck into the drive recognizer," the computer instructed. Seto pulled his deck from his trench coat and placed it in the designated slot. "All systems go. Virtual Screen closing."

The glass covering of the pod lowered itself, sealing Seto inside. "Get ready, Mokuba," Seto told him before the lid closed completely.

"Virtual Screen locked. Reality Link uploading," the computer continued. Part of Mokuba wished Seto had put Lara in charge of the pod. Lara could not be hacked; she was programmed to only follow Seto and Mokuba's commands. If Lara was controlling the pods, he wouldn't have to worry about any possible sabotage. Plus the computer assistant was really funny. "Big Brother, are you positive about this?" Mokuba asked one last time. Once he flipped the switch, Seto would be inside the game and cut off from Mokuba until he exited.

"Absolutely," Seto answered. "Now start it up."

"Okay then."

"I won't be long, Mokuba," Seto assured him.

I hope he knows what he's doing. Mokuba steeled himself and pulled the lever, powering up the virtual reality. The flashed with light, blinding him. "Be careful!" he called to his brother.

A display on one of the screens showed Seto's process. Stylized like an adventure game they played growing up, it showed Seto walking through a forest. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. "Maybe I was wrong. He's okay… so far." Mokuba couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. Maybe he was just on edge from everything that happened with Pegasus.

No sooner than he thought that then the pod and the screen flashed with a blinding light. Seto screamed, and his body went limp. Mokuba opened the pod. "Seto, are you okay? Say something!"

The doors of the lab locked, and Gangsley's image flashed over the display. "Your brother's obsession with technology has always been his greatest weakness."

"What did you do?" Mokuba demanded, fighting down the sense of panic. It was just like before. He was alone against the board, and he didn't have any way of fighting back without Seto.

"Seto should have headed your warning, Little Mokuba," the image flipped to Johnson. "But now it's too late, and his mind is imprisoned in his own game."

"Yes," Ganglsey continued. "Thanks to a few technical modifications we've made. And with you our prisoner once again, there'll be no one to stop us from taking over KaibaCorp."

"Big Brother," Mokuba looked to his unconscious brother before making a decision. He grabbed Seto's deck from the slot and his phone from his pocket. He had to work fast; he could hear the guards outside the room working their way in. Mokuba pried open the ventilation shaft and pulled himself in just as the door unlocked. Using the vents, Mokuba escaped the building and into the thunderstorm.

He pulled Kisara's number up on the phone. Seto only gave this number to those he trusted, and right now, she was the only one Mokuba was sure he could trust. "Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up," he repeated as he ran through the pouring rain.

"I'm sorry. The person you are trying to reach is not accepting calls at this time. Please try your call again later." Mokuba tried again. "I'm sorry. The person you are trying to reach is not accepting calls at this time. Please try your call again later." He got the same error message each time he tried. What now? He didn't even know where Kisara lived, let alone whether or not she would be home. She could be hanging out with Yugi and her other friends for all he knew.

Yugi. Mokuba looked around, now paying attention to his surroundings. The Mutos' game shop wasn't far from here. Kisara could be there, or at least someone would know where she was. Seto wouldn't like him asking Yugi for help, but knowing Seto's rival, he'd help as soon as he heard Seto was in trouble. And Mokuba would feel a lot better having Kisara and Yugi at his back. It was his best chance at saving his brother.

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"Looks like we got everything out just in time," Tea commented as the group ducked into the Mutos' game store."

"I really appreciate you helping me get everything, guys," Kisara thanked her friends. They had gotten her things out of her apartment and over to Tea's house just before Lee arrived to claim the rest of 'his' stuff. Luckily, with Yumi as the adult and her friends with her, her final conversation with her guardian went better than she could have hoped, though it wasn't particularly good. "And I'm sorry Lee was… unfriendly," she offered the word diplomatically. She felt weird. It was the first time she ever actually called Lee by name. She didn't like him, bordering on hating him, but he was gone, out of her life now. It would take some time for her stop worrying about crossing him.

"You got nothing to apologize for," Joey said. "If you don't mind me saying, that guy's a jerk."

"I can't believe he took your phone too," Tristan said.

"I only had it so he could check up on me," Kisara pointed out. "And since he was paying for it, I can't argue with him taking it back. But it's not like I really used it that much." Her one regret about the loss of her phone was that she didn't get Seto's number out of it before her guardian had taken it. She would have to ask Seto for it again when he came back to school. "But I'm done with him, and there's no point in dwelling on it now."

"Yeah, let's just have some fun," Joey began browsing the display. "Hey, Gramps, how much is this box of packs?"

"Twelve dollars," Grandpa told, smiling at the prospect of business. Yugi slipped into the back to make hot chocolate for everyone, warmth against the cold of the rain.

"I'll take it," Joey grinned. "Put it on my tab."

"Your tab's past due," Grandpa shot him down.

"Then put it on Tristan's," Joey said.

"Hey!" Tristan glared at his friend.

"Looks like you'll have to start working behind the desk to pay it off," Kisara chuckled.

The bell over the door chimed, signaling the arrival of a new customer. Everyone turned to see a soaking wet Mokuba. "Kisara!" he shot forward, throwing his arms around her waist. "Please, you have to help," he begged, burying his face in her blue hoodie.

"Calm down, Petit Frère," Kisara hugged him tightly, ignoring the water dripping off him. "It's all right. Just tell me what happened."

"Let's do this in the back," Yugi held the door open for them, gesturing to the Mutos' living room. The rest of the group followed him.

Grandpa handed out hot chocolate, and Yugi grabbed a blanket for Mokuba to warm up with. "Seto was going to fire the board who betrayed us," Mokuba explained, "but they claimed working with Pegasus was a ruse to find him."

"And he bought that?" Joey asked. Kisara shushed him with a hand motion.

"They offered a finished version of the virtual reality pod he's been working on for who knows how long," Mokuba continued. "Seto insisted on testing it right away, but it was a trap. Now he's stuck in there, and the board is continuing their plan to take over KaibaCorp. They would have captured me too, but I managed to sneak through the vents and escape."

"So how do we get Seto out?" Kisara asked.

"He has to beat the game," Mokuba answered.

"But if those creeps reprogrammed the entire adventure just to keep Kaiba trapped there, how is that possible?" Tea asked.

"I don't know," the eleven-year-old looked into his mug. It was obvious to Kisara he was desperately trying to keep himself together. "But I thought you could help."

"Calm down, Mokuba," Grandpa eased him. "We will. Now tell us more about this virtual pod your brother was designing."

"I don't know much," Mokuba admitted. "I was pretty young when he started it; I remember it wasn't too long after Kisara left."

"I remember him wanting to make some kind of virtual game," Kisara added. "It sounded complicated, more than I could ever understand, but from what Seto said, it didn't seem like Gozaburo was going to let him work on it."

"Seto worked on it when Gozaburo wasn't around, and even more when he was gone," Mokuba continued. "I remember him spending endless hours on the prototypes, trying to make it perfect."

"Prototypes?" Joey repeated. "So there are other ones?"

Mokuba nodded, "In his lab. It was Seto's dream to create the world's ultimate virtual adventure lab. But those corporate jerks turned it into a nightmare." Tears welled in his eyes. Kisara wrapped an arm around him, letting him lean into her.

"Lousy suits," Joey muttered. "We'll show them like we did Pegasus."

"That's right," Yugi agreed. "We'll use those pod prototypes, go to that virtual world, and rescue Kaiba."

"We'll get him back," Kisara promised.

"Thanks, guys," Mokuba smiled at them, hugging Kisara again.

Kisara turned to Grandpa. "May I borrow your Blue-Eyes?" she asked as everyone else grabbed their umbrellas. "I have a feeling we're going to need it."

"Normally I'd say no," the old man answered, "but you already used it at Duelist Kingdom. And I think you're right." He took the velvet-lined box from the shelf behind the counter and handed it to her. "I'd feel a lot better knowing you kids had it against whatever dangers those men have put young Kaiba in."

"Thank you," Kisara added the card to her deck and grabbed her umbrella, sharing it with Mokuba."

"We'll be back soon, Grandpa," Yugi promised. He led the charge down the street followed by Joey, Tristan, and Tea.

"Wait up!" Mokuba pleaded as he and Kisara trotted to keep up. "You guys don't even know the way!" The other four slowed down and let Mokuba direct them.

They came to a building not far from the KaibaCorp headquarters. Behind the gate stood a stone statue of a snarling Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "This is it," Mokuba said. "My brother's personal laboratory. He doesn't like anyone messing around in here, but I used to sneak in all the time." He stepped out from under Kisara's umbrella and climbed the gate. Jumping down to the other side, he opened it and took his place next to Kisara again. "This way," he gestured to a side door.

The six slipped passed the Keep Out signs, following the eleven-year-old through the building. He stopped at a room and flipped the lights on inside. "There they are," Mokuba pointed to the pods."

"Those are the prototypes?" Joey asked. "Wow."

They're definitely impressive. Kisara examined the pod closest to her. Mokuba went straight to the main controls. "Yep, just like the model my brother's in," he confirmed.

"Only four pods," Joey counted them off. "I guess someone's staying here. I say Tristan."

"And I say you," Tristan pulled the blond into a headlock.

"I know I'm going," Mokuba declared.

"Mokuba, you're the one who knows how to work these things," Joey said. "You should stay here."

"Yeah, but I also know the most about the virtual land that we're going into," Mokuba countered.

"Good point," Tristan said. "I think I can figure out the controls if you just show me what's what."

"We'll get in," Joey said. "Take care of my gorgeous bod, pal," he grinned at Tristan.

"You guys had better be careful," Tea told them, her bright blue eyes resting on Yugi.

"We'll be fine, Tea," Joey told her and hopped into the pod closest to him. Yugi and Kisara got into two of the others. Mokuba finished explaining the controls to Tristan and jumped into the last pod next to Kisara.

"Yeah, don't you worry about a thing," Yugi assured her. "We'll have Kaiba rescued in no time."

"I'll keep them from getting into too much trouble," Kisara grinned, reminding Tea of their promise last night to keep the guys in line.

"Let her rip, Tristan," Joey told his friend.

"Right," Tristan powered up the machine. "Here we go."

We'll be fine. Kisara bit back her nerves at entering the virtual reality. She really didn't want to think about what would happen if they lost in the board's reprogrammed version of the game. The glass lid closed over her, and a visor dropped down over her eyes.

The machine powered up with a blinding flash, and Kisara was floating. Lights flew all around her, and then she was standing in a forest next to Yugi, Joey, and Mokuba. I don't really feel different. She felt like she would be walking into the game store. And their appearances hadn't really changed either. Kisara still had her blue hoodie over a white shirt and jeans; Joey had his jeans, white shirt, and green jacket; Yugi still wore his school uniform, and Mokuba had his red-striped shirt, white bandana, and jeans. The only noticeable change was a version of Seto's duel disk strapped to their left arms.

"I'm glad I've got my dueling deck with me, but this LifePoint counter makes me a bit nervous," Yugi said, eyeing the 2000 LifePoints on the display as they walked through the forest.

"So what happens if we run out?" Kisara asked.

"I know what happens in a video game when you lose a life," Yugi answered, "but I don't know what happens here. It's kind of a scary thought."

"No joke, guys," Joey said.

"By the way, Mokuba," Kisara turned to the youngest member of the group. "When did you build a deck?"

"It's Seto's," he answered. "I kind of panicked, and I didn't want another imposter to take his deck again."

"It's okay," she assured him. "Between what you know about this game and what the four of us know about Duel Monsters, we'll make it. Focusing on the worst-case scenario won't get us anywhere. We'll end up scaring ourselves more than that corporate board will."

"Speaking of scary," Mokuba pointed ahead. The group had reached the end of the forest and stumbled upon a graveyard.

"It's hard to believe all of this is virtual and not real," Yugi led them through the rows of tombstones.

"Yeah, well it looks pretty real enough to me," Joey muttered.

"It's a good thing I'm still following my scary-movie ban," Kisara added, keeping herself in the middle of the group. The surprises she and the others experienced when they were searching that cave for Joey lingered in the back of her mind.

A monster broke to the surface right next her; Kisara screamed. "Zombie alert!" Joey yelled. Two more zombies broke through the surface to join the red armored monster facing them. All together they faced a rotting dragon, warrior, and clown. Numbered stats appeared above them.

"They're Duel Monsters," Kisara realized.

"So if I just draw a card," Joey pulled a card from his deck. "Then… I really don't know what."

"Let me show you how it's done," Mokuba drew his own card and held it up. "I summon the Rude Kaiser!"

"And I summon the Dark Magician," Yugi followed the eleven-year-old's lead.

"Show them what you're made of, Seiyaryu!" Kisara called on her pink dragon.

"Attack!" they commanded their monsters. The three creatures blasted through the zombies.

"So that's how you do it in the virtual world," Joey said.

The three zombies regenerated themselves. "They're back?" Mokuba stepped back from them.

"I got them," Joey held up the card he had previously drawn. "I summon the Flame Swordsman!" The orange-and-blue clad warrior charged at the zombies. "Go, Flaming Sword of Battle!"

"Joey, cancel your Flame Swordsman's attack!" Yugi yelled to him. "Hurry!"

It was too late. The Flame Swordsman sliced through the Dragon Zombie, but it regenerated again, this time more powerful than the warrior. The zombie roared and destroyed the Swordsman. Joey's LifePoints fell to 1820. "What is going on?" the blond asked. "Every time we slay one of these zombie monsters, they come back even stronger."

"Isn't this what happened in your duel against that Bonz guy?" Kisara asked.

"Oh yeah," Joey's eyes lit up in realization and held up a card. "Zombies have zero defense power, so by activating Shield and Sword, I can switch their attack and defense points so their attack becomes zero!" The area flashed with light as all the monsters' stats were switched. "They're all yours, Yuge!"

"Go, Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi ordered his magician to attack, obliterating the zombies. In front of each of the duelists' feet, a card with a picture of coins and the number five lay.

"What do you think this is?" Mokuba asked, picking his up.

"Must be part of some kind of scoring system," Yugi reasoned.

"Hey, my LifePoints aren't going back up," Joey watched his gauge.

"That sure can't be good, can't it?" Mokuba checked his own gauge.

"Man, I guess these virtual monsters are playing for keeps," Joey concluded.

"Well, those corporate goons didn't want Seto to succeed at this," Kisara reminded them.

A giggle drew their attention to one of the tombstones. Behind a cross hovered a small girl dressed in blue. Her wings fluttered rapidly as she ducked out of sight behind the tombstone. "What is that thing?" Mokuba asked.

"It looks like a fairy," Kisara answered.

"I bet it's one that they put in these games to help the players out," Joey suggested.

"It would make sense," Kisara agreed. "We won't find Seto by wandering around here. We should find other characters in the game so we know how to move forward."

The little fairy giggled and took off, leading the others to follow her. The reached a cliff edge, but the girl was gone. "That slippery little sprite," Joey grimaced at losing their only lead.

"Hey, look!" Mokuba ran to the edge of the cliff. "I think I found what that fairy was trying to show us."

The others joined him, spotting the town at the bottom of the cliff. "Let's go explore it!" Joey took off down the cliff, leaving the other three to chase after him.

The town seemed almost like a cross between a renaissance fair and Domino. People moved about their business; stores and stalls showed various products as peddlers called for

"Well, I wanted to find other players," Kisara said as they moved the crowded bazaar. "Now what should we do?"

"I'm just glad we all ate before we got here," Joey grimaced at one stall's smoked lizards for sale.

"Check this out," Yugi called their attention. He and Mokuba stood in front of a store selling Duel Monster cards.

"I guess Seto put this in for when the game would be released," Kisara reasoned. "Players could start with their own decks, and if they didn't have money for really rare cards, they could buy them here and try them out. Especially if the purpose of the story is for the player to be the hero."

"For having not heard of this before today, you seem to have a lot of insight," Joey said.

"Between discussing them with Seto and Mokuba when we were younger and all the video games you play, I've picked up a few things," she answered. "Besides, since enemies are supposed to get progressively harder, it makes sense that better equipment would be available to fight those enemies. The game wouldn't be fair otherwise."

"Anyway, let's take them!" Joey called to store owner.

"I don't think it works that way," Mokuba pointed to the prices below the cards. The lowest one said 2000 points.

"But we must have earned at least that many from those zombies," Joey took out his point card, frowning at the amount. "Not even close," he sighed.

"Come on, guys, let's concentrate on finding my brother first," Mokuba reminded them of their mission.

"Right," Yugi and Kisara said at the same time.

"Okay," Joey fought of his disappointment at not getting any of the cards. "Let's split up and comb this town for clues."

"We'll meet up at the water fountain," Yugi told them. The other three nodded, and they split up.

Kisara headed north through the more residential areas. "Excuse me," she stopped a woman passing by her. "Have you seen a guy taller than me with brown hair and wearing a long blue coat?" Mokuba had mentioned Seto was wearing his blue trench coat when he entered the game, and since their outfits hadn't changed, his probably hadn't either. That coat would definitely stand out here; most of the residents wore some shade of brown with the occasional gray.

"I haven't seen anyone like that," the woman answered. She continued on her way, preventing Kisara from asking anything else.

She sighed at looked around at the population moving through the street, asking anyone she could about Seto. From what she knew of these games, characters with some kind of quest or information usually had some kind of indicator. But there were so many people in the town. How would she find one quest character in the whole place? And how would that help them find Seto?

"What do we got here? A stranger all by her lonesome?" a voice sounded behind her. Kisara whipped around to see three guys eyeing her. Based on the weapon sheaths they wore over their worn tunics and breeches and the bulge of money in their coin pouches, she assumed these three were bandits.

"I'm looking for someone," she said, keeping her voice calm. It probably wouldn't help if they saw how nervous she was. "Have you seen a guy wearing a long blue coat? He'd be a few inches taller than me with brown hair."

"Haven't seen him, not that I care," the guy in the center scoffed. "I'm not interested in him." He looked her over.

"Then I have nothing to discuss with you," Kisara turned away, watching the three out of the corner of her eye. She started down the street when one of the other two blocked her way.

"But we have stuff to discuss with you," the one blocking her sneered.

"I warning you to stay away," Kisara glared at him.

"Or what?" the third one asked.

"Or you'll have to deal with a friend of mine," she reached for her deck. She didn't need a large dragon to deal with these three; she just needed something to chase them off. "Come on out, Petit Dragon!"

The little golden dragon flew around her before resting on her shoulder. The bandits laughed. "That little thing is going to deal with us?"

"Show them what you can do," Kisara smiled at her dragon. It took to the air again and began blasting them with dragon fire. Crying in pain, the bandits ran off. Petit Dragon landed in Kisara's outstretched arms. "Thank you," she hugged it. The little dragon nuzzled her cheek before returning to her deck. "I'd better go find the others."

Yugi was already at the water fountain when she arrived. "Any luck?" he asked.

"Nothing," she answered. "Not even a quest leading us to the game's end."

"What about you, Joey?" the shorter duelist spotted their blond friend heading towards them, a dog hanging off the tail of his green jacket. "Did you find out anything?"

"Yeah, I found out I hate virtual dogs," Joey staggered over, trying to make the dog release him.

"Hey, guys," Mokuba called to them. "I got a great lead."

"Finally some good news," Kisara said. "What'd you get?"

"See that mountain?" he led them to edge of town and pointed to a snow-covered peak past the sand dunes. "An old woman I was talking to said that she saw a man with a prisoner headed there this morning. Supposedly, there's some kind of ancient temple at the top, and the only way to get there is by crossing this desert."

"Great, so where's our ride out?" Joey asked.

Mokuba took off running into the dunes. "Petit Frère, wait for us!" Kisara called after him, racing to catch up. Yugi was close behind her.

"Hey, us includes me!" Joey brought up the rear.

It wasn't long before a sandstorm blew over them. "I gotta hand it to your brother," Joey said as he held his arm over his face. "This virtual sand—it tastes just like real sand."

"We should go back," Yugi's voice was muffled underneath his sleeve. "It's too rough."

"No, we can't," Mokuba insisted from behind his bandana. "We have to keep going."

"Mokuba, we won't find Seto if we lose our way in this storm," Kisara said.

No sooner than she said that, a twister barreled through their path, heading straight for the four travelers. "Brace yourselves!" Yugi called out to everyone.

Kisara pulled Mokuba close, shielding him from the impact of the twister. She felt the wind pull them from the ground, and everything went black.

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"Kisara," someone shook her. She groaned, feeling sand on her cheek. "Kisara, wake up." She opened her eyes to see Mokuba hovering over her. "Great, you're okay!" He threw his arms around her.

"Don't worry, Petit Frère, I'm fine," she hugged him tightly. "What about Yugi and Joey?"

"They're over there," Mokuba gestured to the other two member of their party. Joey shook Yugi awake, filling him in on what happened. "I'm sorry, Sœur. That wouldn't have happened if I had waited."

"It's all right," Kisara assured him. "We're okay, and we'll find a way to get across to Seto. We've both survived worse than this. Just remember: one step at a time."

Mokuba nodded, but their conversation was interrupted by a wheezing laugh. "That ain't no way to be crossing no desert." The four turned to see an older man sitting in a rocking chair on a nearby porch.

"Wait, are you saying you know how to cross it then?" Joey ran up to ask the man, followed by Yugi.

"No, it's not me who knows," the man answered. "It's them desert-crossing Niwatori chickens."

"I'm sorry, what?" Kisara asked, walking with Mokuba to join the group. She shook the remaining sand out of her long hair.

"You mean the Niwatori card!" Joey realized.

"Thanks, mister," Yugi said. "Could you please tell us where we could go to get a card?"

"I wish I could," the man told them. "But they can't be got; they can only be won."

"Man, this guy's an odd bird," Joey muttered.

"Maybe it's some kind of prize, like a quest or something," Kisara suggested.

"You say prized bird?" the man said. "It sure is, especially around here."

"Uhhhh," Joey groaned and pulled at his hair. "I can't understand what he's trying to tell us!"

"Maybe one of the cards stands we saw on the way in has one," Mokuba suggested.

"It's worth a try," Yugi agreed. "There certainly are plenty of card stands in this town. Surely one of them has to have it."

They wandered from shop to shop looking for the card with no luck. On the way back to the fountain, Kisara noticed a sign advertising some kind of contest. It had a card with a beige bird on it with a blonde woman in a butterfly mask and red cape over her white tube top and purple mini skirt that matched her boots. "Hey, Yugi, what does Niwatori look like again?"

"Why?" the tri-color haired duelist turned to see what she noticed. "Wait, that's what the old man meant!"

"Fame, glory, and the prized Niwatori card await the heroic warrior who can beat our champion," Mokuba read. "Signed the Grand Battle Chief and Combat Outfitter of Shadow Coliseum."

"Let's sign up!" Joey grinned. "I always wanted to be a warrior."

"Let's just hope these matches don't end up like real gladiator fights did," Kisara said. "I'd hate for us to end up in a fight to the death.

It wasn't hard for them to find the coliseum. After a couple of instructions from passing people, they found the right place to sign up. The person who greeted them was a humanoid toad who was unimpressed with their crew. "One of you as a coliseum warrior?" he scoffed. "I don't know. This town takes its gladiator matches very seriously. But if it's a shot at the champion you desire—one moment," he shot his tongue out to catch a fly buzzing around him. If I throw up here, will I throw up in the real world too? Kisara tried not to think about it and keep her lunch where it was. "Far be it for me to stand in your way," the toad continued. He went into a back room and pulled out an outfit—a green cape with a pig mask. "Here," he held it out to Yugi. "Your battle mask and combat cape."

"Is all this stuff really necessary?" Yugi asked.

"Yes," the toad answered. "If you're going to lose all your LifePoints, you may as well look like a hero."

"All of my LifePoints?" the tri-color duelist repeated.

"Give that stuff to me, Yuge," Joey stepped in.

"Joey, what are you planning?" Kisara asked.

"I'm not letting Yuge or anyone else risk their LifePoints for this," he answered. "I'll fight that champion."

"But, Joey, you already have fewer LifePoints than the rest of us," Yugi answered.

"Yeah, well it looks like I'm just going to have to be extra careful then," Joey took the fighting gear from his shorter friend. "But so will the champ once he sees the skills that I have."

"Okay," Yugi relented.

"Thanks, Joey," Mokuba said.

"You better be careful or I'll send a dragon to haunt you forever," Kisara glared at him.

"Don't worry about it," Joey winked at them. "Being a hero is what I do best."

He pulled the cape and mask on over his clothes and headed to the arena entrance. Kisara, Yugi, and Mokuba found seats in the front row. Anything they said was drowned out by the crowd cheering for both the fight and their champion. I sure hope Joey knows what he's doing.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the toad's voice filled the arena. "We have at last found a soul brave enough to challenge our champion! I present to you the purveyor of poundings, the picture of pugnacity, the pig that packs a punch! Introducing the challenger that I've dubbed Señor Porky!" Joey walked out into the arena, booed and ridiculed by the crowd.

"Come on, Joey!" Yugi called to his friend. "You can do it!"

"Now introducing our undefeated champ," the toad continued, "the Monarch of Mayhem, the Queen of Mean: Madame Butterfly!" Four men carried in a throne occupied by the woman on the announcement for the contest.

The champion jumped off her throne and stood opposite Joey. "Huh, I knew guys could be dirty as pigs—didn't know they dressed the part," she commented on Joey's attire. "Hope you duel better than you smell, you swine." She held a card up.

"You know what I like about butterflies?" Joey asked. "They don't talk!" He summoned his Flame Swordsman.

"Have I got a girl for you?" Madame Butterfly summoned her own monster: Harpie Lady.

"Harpie Lady?" Kisara looked between the champion and the bird-woman.

"What is it?" Mokuba asked.

Blonde hair… Harpie Lady… Is it possible? Kisara watched Madame Butterfly as Joey sent his Flame Swordsman to attack. "I knew it," the blonde champion scoffed. "Pigs don't know about trap cards." A reflective surface materialized between the Harpie Lady and the Swordsman. "Mirror Wall!" The warrior struck his reflection with his sword, cutting his strength in half.

"Can it be?" Yugi seemed to connect the same dots Kisara had.

Madame Butterfly laughed at Joey's plight. "My Harpie Lady really knows how to bring home the bacon. Ready for the big finish?" She held up another card. "Rose Whip Attack!" The Harpie Lady snapped a whip, flicking it at the Flame Swordsman.

"Hold on!" Joey pulled off his mask, revealing his identity to his opponent.

"Stop attack!" she cancelled her move. "Joey, is that you?" She pulled off her mask, revealing the face of Mai Valentine.

"What are you doing here, Mai?" Yugi called to the blonde champion. He hopped over the railing in front of them followed by Kisara and Mokuba.

"Yugi, Kisara, and Mokuba?" Mai looked to each of them. "I'm… testing this game for some suits at KaibaCorp."

"Which suits?" Mokuba asked.

"I didn't get their names," she said, "but the one who talked to me had a brown beard, and the other seemed rather disinterested, more just wanting to work on the machine than talk to me."

"Leichter and Nesbitt," Mokuba narrowed his eyes. He would know which board members were likely to do this. "It would be them to sabotage the game."

"Listen, you could be in danger, Mai," Joey said.

"Yeah," Mokuba shook off his dislike of the two who convinced Mai to test the game. "Those suits kidnapped my big brother."

"Kaiba's in a temple across the desert," Yugi added. "They've trapped his mind in this virtual game."

"Kaiba's here?" Mai's eyes widened.

"Yes," Kisara answered. "And we need the Niwatori card to find him. It's the only way to get across the desert to him."

"That's the prize card for this match," Mai realized.

The crowd began booing them, demanding the duel continue. "I know this crowd's a fake, but they look really mad," Joey commented. "We might have a problem getting out of here without finishing the duel."

"You guys can't!" Kisara looked between them. "We can't risk you two losing all your LifePoints."

"And even if we do manage to escape, we still won't find Kaiba without that Niwatori card," Joey eyed the prize next to the toad.

"Well I'm not so sure about crossing a desert," Mai's eyes flicked around the area, making a plan. "But I'm over this place." She winked at them. "And I'm positive that I can get that Niwatori card." She looked her monster still floating above them. "Harpie Lady, use Rose Whip!" The bird-woman flicked her whip at the prize, wrapping it around the card and pulling it back to her. Mai grabbed the card and shed her cape. Joey followed suit, and the party of five raced out of the arena, chased by the angry mob the spectators had become.

"We gotta reach the desert!" Mokuba yelled as they ran.

"Oh yeah, this is much better than dueling," Joey grumbled.

The mob slowly gained on them. "Enough!" Joey whipped around and held up a card. "Crowd control time! Go, Trap Hole!" A crater appeared underneath the rioters at the front. The rest were stuck until they figured out a way around it.

They made it to the edge of the desert without any further hitches. "Let's hope this works," Kisara said. "I've had enough fun riding sand twisters for today."

"Time to find out if this card will work like the old man said it would," Joey said. "Will you do the honors, Mai?"

She held up the card, and five large beige birds with green plumes appeared in front of them. They each hopped on a bird and began the trek through the desert. "So did those guys at KaibaCorp say why they wanted you to test the game, Mai?" Kisara asked.

"Not really," Mai told her. "Like I said, the one guy barely spoke to me. The other guy just called me 'Miss Valentine' and promised I'd be paid well to help test the game."

"They probably wanted to make everything would go according to plan when they used it on my brother," Mokuba reasoned. "Still they couldn't have planned on all of us." He raised his arm to shield his face from the blowing sand."

"But they might compensate for it," Kisara said. "I hope Tea and Tristan don't run into trouble back in the lab."

"Hey, look over there!" Mokuba pointed to a pillar of sand shooting into the air. The entire ground shook.

"It's an earthquake!" Mai yelled.

"No, it's something worse," Yugi said. "It's another obstacle programmed into the game."

"So what is it?" Kisara asked. Vines shot from the ground, thrashing wildly. The five bird riders narrowly avoided being struck by them.

"It's a sandstorm monster!" Joey said. The monster surfaced, revealing a stone creature.

"Then let's take it down!" Kisara drew a card. "Go, Hyozanryu!" A white, sparkling dragon appeared above her. "Attack with Diamond Devastator!" The dragon roared, and white energy shot from its mouth, obliterating the creature.

"Wait to go, Kisara!" Mokuba cheered.

The wind died down, allowing the party members to see a building at the base of the nearest mountain. "Do you see what I see?" Mai asked.

"Some sort of ancient temple," Yugi answered. "That must be what we're looking for."

"Is that where they're keeping Kaiba?" Mai turned to Mokuba.

"An old woman told me it was the temple across the desert," Mokuba said. "So that's gotta be it. Seto's gotta be there."

"Then let's go find him," Kisara nudged her Niwatori forward.

"Go, Drumsticks!" Joey urged his bird faster, passing all of them.

"Uh, guys, Joey name his chicken," Mai looked between the other three.

"It's a Niwatori, Mai," Joey corrected her.

The temple appeared more impressive as the group got closer. Kisara began to think it might give Kaiba Mansion a run for its money, at least in terms of outer appeal. Who knew what the inside would be like?

Once they reached the entrance to the temple, Kisara and Mokuba dismounted followed by the three others. The five Niwatori vanished in a puff of smoke. Mokuba took off running into the temple. "Mokuba, wait!" Kisara chased after him.

"There's no stopping him," she heard Joey sigh from the rest of the group. "Let's go before we lose both of them Kaiba brothers."

They caught up to Mokuba inside of the temple, which gave way to a dark and dank cave. Now this is déjà vu. Kisara watched the walls and ceiling for possible traps. "This temple's seen better days," Joey commented.

"I don't think it really was a temple," Kisara said.

"It's definitely creepy," Mai added.

"Yeah," Yugi agreed. "Let's try to stick together."

They came across a wooden door at least twenty feet tall. "Allow me," Joey pushed the door open. Beyond the doorway, the stone walls were neatly arranged in the confusing twists and turns of a labyrinth.

"Now this is really déjà vu," Kisara said.

"Yeah, it's like when we dueled them weirdo Paradox Brothers, huh, Yuge?" Joey said.

The door slammed shut behind them; no matter how much they pounded, it was going to reopen. "Now I'm freaked," Mai said.

"It's okay," Yugi assured them. "Remember that this is a game, and we'd never reach the end by going backwards anyway. Which means we've gotta go through that maze to find Kaiba."

"So let's get going," Kisara headed forward, flanked by her four friends.

They came to the first intersection when they heard a scream. "Someone's in trouble," Yugi said.

Joey shoved his way past them, running ahead. "I'm on it!"

"Watch where you're going, Joey!" Mai yelled after him. "Unh," she sighed. "That doofus will do anything to meet a girl." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I guess he realizes I'm way out of his league."

"Let's just go find him," Kisara stepped forward to follow the wayward blond. The wall on her right crumbled, revealing the red drills of a Labyrinth Tank.

"Run!" Yugi yelled.

They ran down the passage opposite the metallic menace. The Tank gained on them, and they soon spotted Joey trying to decide which direction to go. "Joey, watch out!" Mai called to him. The group took the left passage, but another Labyrinth Tank blocked their way. They spun around to find a third boxing them in.

"Okay, anybody here got a plan?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, get past those tanks," Yugi answered.

"You got a plan B?" Joey eyed each of the Tanks surrounding them. "Otherwise we're going to have more holes in us than Swiss cheese."

"It'd sure be nice if we could teleport," Kisara said.

"I can do that," Yugi held up a card. "I'll use my Magical Hats!"

A large silk hat materialized around them, surrounding them in darkness. Kisara heard the Tanks fire, but the impact never hit them. "Heh, I love that trick," Joey laughed. "You got us out of there just in time. Now let's move this party." The five began shuffling the Hat away, trying not to hit any of the surrounding walls.

"Ouch, Joey, that's my foot," Mai chastised him.

"Sorry," he apologized. "So are we in the clear?" The Hat dissolved in blue light, letting them see their surroundings again.

"Are you doing okay, Mokuba?" Kisara asked.

"I'm fine," he answered. "I'll be better when we find Seto."

"We will," she promised. "We just have to take things one step at a time."

The ground rumbled, evidence the Tanks figured out their trick and were looking for them. A tiny girl in blue flew in front of their faces, the fairy they'd seen earlier. "Think she can help us?" Kisara asked.

"Yeah," Joey answered. "It looks like she wants us to follow her."

"Let's do it," Mai said. The group took off after the little sprite.

"Think she can lead us to my brother?" Mokuba asked.

"Only one way to find out," Kisara said. They followed the fairy around another corner.

"Earu, you're back!" a young girl in a frilly pink and white dress greeted the fairy. Kisara did a double take. The girl looked almost exactly like Mokuba. The only difference Kisara could see where her eyes; they were more of blue-violet than blue-gray, and they were softer, framed by thick black lashes. She turned to make sure the Mokuba she knew was still behind her.

Joey laughed at the sight of the girl. "Check it out, Mokuba. Looks like that fairy's turned you into a girl."

"Great, can she make you smart?" Mokuba stepped forward and scowled at him.

"They look like they could be twins," Yugi said.

Mokuba walked up to the girl. "We heard someone scream. Are you all right?"

"I lost Earu, my guide," the girl answered.

"Well we're all here now," Joey grinned. "So can you get us out of this rat trap?"

"I'm lost too," the girl looked away, evidently frightened by the situation, before looking back at the group. "But Earu will find a way out for us," she gestured to the fairy.

"Then lead the way," Kisara told the fairy.

The fairy, Earu, twirled around and selected the passage behind the girl. The six humans followed her, soon making it to the end of the labyrinth. "I can see it!" Mokuba cheered.

"All right!" Joey added. "We're home free!"

They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what waited for them outside the maze: the Gate Guardian. "Did I say home free?" Joey asked. "I meant in deep trouble!"

"I can't think of anything that'll beat a monster that strong," Mai said.

"I can," Kisara turned to Yugi and Joey. "Summon the demon dragon."

"You got it," Joey held up a card. "I'll combine my Red-Eyes Black Dragon…"

"With my Summoned Skull," Yugi held up his own card, "And fuse them both with Polymerization to form the Black Skull Dragon." The greenish black dragon hovered over them, sitting at 3200 attack points to the Gate Guardian's 3750.

"Great try, guys, but we still need even more attack power," Mai said.

"I've got that," Kisara held up two cards. "I play two copies of Dragon's Treasure, raising the Black Skull Dragon's attack points by a total of 600 points!"

"Molten Fireball Attack!" Yugi and Joey commanded their dragon. Black Skull Dragon roasted the Gate Guardian, shattering its image in a shower of sparks.

"That's amazing," the girl stared at them in awe. "You're all so brave. So much like the heroes of legend."

"Eh, it was nothing," Joey rubbed his upper lip, trying to hide his embarrassment at the praise.

Heroes of legend? Kisara wondered what the girl meant. Maybe they finally found the main quest of Seto's game. Or at least they found the way out of the game once they did find Seto.

Before Kisara could ask what the girl meant, a crowd of people came from the tunnel Gate Guardian had been protecting. She heard the name 'Lady Adena' repeated over and over again. "Grandma!" the girl recognized the old woman at the front of the crowd.

"Milady, we've been worried sick about you," the old woman said. She noticed Kisara and the others behind the girl. "I see you made some new friends."

"They saved me," Adena explained. "They're the bravest warriors I've ever seen!" Kisara bowed her head at the girl's praise. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw similar gestures from her friends. "As thanks, I'd like to invite them as guests to the palace."

"Thank you very much," Kisara bowed to the girl and her entourage. "So how do we get there?"

"Follow me," Adena smiled and led the way out of the cave.

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

Seto noticed three things when he came to. First that he was chained to some kind of stone and had been there for a while based on the tension in his arms. Second was that his duel disk and deck were gone. The third was that he wasn't alone. "Where am I?" he asked. The last thing he remembered was the Armed Ninja coming after him. That wasn't part of the game he designed.

"You're with me, Seto Kaiba," a voice laughed. From a dark portal on the floor emerged a man with red skin, pointy ears, and long blond hair. He was dressed in a purple suit and fedora, and white gloves covered his hands.

"Witty Phantom?" Seto identified him. "You took me prisoner in my own game?"

"Yes," he grinned.

"Then release me!" Seto demanded. This was his game. All the characters and programs were supposed to follow his orders. "I command you too."

"This is no longer your world to command," Witty Phantom tipped his hat as he spoke. "Your game's been reprogrammed. You're late to the party, Kaiba."

"Gee, I never liked parties," Seto stared the phantom down.

"But you're the guest of honor," the blond spread his arms wide to emphasize his point. "Or at least you will be, very soon. You see, Kaiba, you will have the great privilege of being our sacrifice to the Mythic Dragon. Till then, your misery will be in my capable hands."

"That's enough," Seto cut him off. "Override protocol! End this simulation!" Nothing happened.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Witty Phantom waved his finger at him. "I told you things have changed. Your code's been rewritten, and now all your silly safety precautions are a thing of the past. Now if you'll excuse me, there's so much to do before the other offering is brought here." He tipped his hat at Seto again.

"Another offering?" Seto repeated. Who else would they choose? Seto was the only actual player in the game, so this sorry batch of code must be planning on sacrificing another NPC. Part of him hoped the special character he had programmed wouldn't be it; that was the only one he actually cared about and had a look in mind when going through the design process. Not that the character had turned out entirely like he'd hoped.

"I know you love the spotlight," Witty Phantom answered, "but you'll just have to share." He turned and walked away, vanishing with each step.

"Come back!" Seto demanded, but he was ignored. Well at least the phantom wouldn't annoy him anymore. Now he just had to figure out how to get out of here. When he did, Witty Phantom and the board would regret ever crossing him. He would make sure of it.

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

Tea leaned against the console, careful not to accidently hit any buttons or switches. "They've been gone a long time," she turned to Tristan. He also leaned over the controls, not having moved since he powered up the machine. "I hope they're okay."

"Don't you worry," Tristan assured her. "I once saw Joey play a video game for three days straight without blinking or nothing."

"Really," she raised an eyebrow at him. "Figures," she sighed.

Tristan suddenly stood up straight, the look of a brilliant idea written all across his face. Tea only hoped it actually was brilliant. "Tea, I know what'll make all this waiting around go by faster: a game! And it's called 'Guess My Facial Hair.' Go right ahead."

He had her interested until he named the game. "Eew," she wrinkled her nose. "I think I'll pass."

"Oh, come one," Tristan pressed on. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed my fine beard growing in? I've got like eight whiskers! Here, take a feel."

"Tristan, please," Tea gritted her teeth. "Why don't you go and take a nap in the corner?"

A door slammed before he could answer. Cautiously, they opened the door a crack to see Kemo and a handful of other guards storming the building. "Looks to me like we got some company headed our way," Tristan said. "Quick, let's lock the door and set up some kind of barricade to hold them off. If they get in here, they could sabotage the rescue mission."

"Good idea," Tea agreed.

They shut and bolted the door. Tristan figured out which equipment wasn't needed to run the pods and began shoving it towards the door. Tea grabbed whatever boxes and chairs she could find, piling them up and around the equipment Tristan placed.

The guards slammed against the door. "Ready or not, here we come," Kemo laughed at them.

Tea and Tristan pressed themselves against their barricade, pushing all their strength against the guards' assault. "We are not letting you in here, man," Tristan told him.

Yugi. Tea turned her head to look at Yugi's pod, keeping her shoulder against the barricade. I hope you guys are getting close to finding Kaiba. There's only so long we'll be able to keep Kemo and his thugs from getting in here and unplugging your pods!

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

The carriage ride to Adena's home was smooth, especially since the five players were given a carriage to themselves. "Well I still don't know what to make of this crazy game world," Joey said from his place in between Yugi and Mai. "But I like this part a lot better than that maze."

"I like Adena," Mai said. "She at least knows how to travel in high style."

"That's true," Yugi agreed. "Mokuba, you should be flattered that Kaiba based such a cool character on you."

"On me?" Mokuba pointed to himself.

"Yeah, on you, my lady," Joey snickered.

"Hey!" Mokuba glared at him.

"I don't think it's just you she's based on," Kisara said, turning to him. "I remember Seto once told me you take after your mom."

"I do?" Mokuba looked to face her. "When did he tell you this?"

"One of the days Mom had to stay really late at Kaiba Mansion," she answered. "You fell asleep pretty early on, and Seto told me a little bit about your parents… and I shared with him a little of what I know about my dad…" she chose her words carefully. Some of this was stuff Seto should tell him, and there was the fact Seto wouldn't want Yugi, Joey, and Mai to know about any of this. "Seto said you had your mom's hair with your dad's eyes, and he got your dad's hair with your mom's eyes… And I bet Adena is meant to be based on your mom, but it probably ended up looking more like you than he intended. I know he didn't have any pictures to go on."

"Yeah," Mokuba looked down. "I don't really remember anything about them, and Seto never talks about them."

"Well, we'll have to have a few words with him with we're done with this," Kisara hugged her friend. "And I'm always here if you want to talk."

"Thanks, Kisara," Mokuba returned the hug.

"Hey, look at that," Yugi pointed out the window. Kisara and Mokuba looked out the window to what their friend had noticed. Along the forested mountain was an entire kingdom, and on the highest bluff was a pristine palace.

"Excellent," Joey grinned. "I hope they got food in this game."

"You didn't seem to like the last food we saw," Kisara chuckled, remembering the blond's reaction to the smoked lizards earlier.

"That wasn't food," Joey countered. "I don't want to know what that was."

"I just hope they can help us," Mokuba said. "We need to find Seto."

The carriages came to a stop outside the palace. A red carpet marked their way. Adena and her grandmother strolled down the path as the guards saluted them. The five players stood back, taking in the grandeur of the palace. "Check out this pad," Joey commented.

Earu flew over and handed on Yugi's head, situating herself behind his blond bangs. "It seems Earu has taken a liking to you," Adena turned her head to see the spot her fairy had claimed.

"Is this your palace?" Yugi asked.

"Why, yes," Adena stopped and nodded to them. "I am the princess of this land: Sin Lau. Princess Adena."

"Princess?" the five of them repeated. The fairy giggled from her perch on Yugi's head.

"Yes," the girl nodded again. "Please, come in. There is a banquet waiting for you."

They were escorted through the palace to a large dining hall. Six places were set, though the long table could have easily held three times that many. Joey plowed into the food placed before him, eating twice as much as everyone else in half the time. "Careful, everyone," Mai warned them. "Keep your hands and feet away from Joey's mouth."

"You get used it," Kisara said, avoiding Joey's antics going on next to her. "Not only can Tea and I not get caught by him, but we're also pretty good at making him behave."

Whether it was her words or just the result of eating too fast, Joey stopped shoveling food into his mouth and struggled to breath, pounding his chest as his face started turning blue. "Are you okay?" Mai asked.

Joey swallowed his food and caught his breath, his coloring returning to normal. "Yeah," he brushed it off. "Happens all the time."

"Disgusting," Mai wrinkled her nose and turned her attention to her own food.

"Princess Adena," Mokuba addressed their hostess. "Do you have any news of my brother, Seto?"

The princess looked down at her plate sadly. "I didn't want to say anything before," she answered, "but people often disappear when it is time for the offerings."

"What kind of offerings?" Kisara asked. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer.

"Every year at this time, offerings are collected from this and another kingdom so that the Mythic Dragon can be resurrected."

"The Mythic Dragon?" Yugi repeated.

Looks like I was right about this being an important quest. Kisara looked between her friends as the princess continued. "The other kingdom has already put up their offering: some stranger from a distant land."

"That's Seto!" Mokuba interrupted her. "Please, tell me where he is!"

"He's in a dark castle floating in the sky," Adena answered.

"A dark castle?" Mokuba's eyes widened, and he looked to Kisara.

"Why's that sound familiar?" Joey asked.

"Because Yugi already beat something like that," Kisara answered. "In his duel against Panik."

Yugi nodded. "The Castle of Dark Illusions?" he clarified with the princess.

She nodded. "That painting tells the tale," Adena drew their attention to the artwork behind Yugi, Joey, and Kisara. It depicted a large winged creature flying towards the left, its wingspan the width of the painting. On the left, in the direction the creature flew, the sky was lighter as if it were midday, and on the right, behind the creature, it was dark as night. "We have passed down the legend for generations," the princess explained. "Long ago, a hero escaped that dreaded castle on a flying machine. It is said he hid his vessel in Sin Lau a thousand years ago. His ship was never found, and there's no other way to reach the dark castle."

"We could fly there on one of Kisara's dragons," Mai suggested.

Adena shook her head. "A magic barrier protects the castle. No Duel Monsters can penetrate it."

"Oh no," Mokuba looked down at his plate.

"Don't lose hope," Kisara reminded him. "Remember: one step at a time. We figure out some way to get into the castle, and then we find Seto."

"She's right," Mai added. "Just keep telling yourself this is only a game. We can solve it." She caught the strange look on Adena's face, evidence the princess had heard her. "I mean life's a game!" she amended. "So what are you going to do about your kingdom's offering?" Mai changed the subject.

"Well…" Adena wasn't prepared for the question. "I've… uh… volunteered."

Everyone gasped. No way? Why would Adena be the one sacrificed? Unless her programming makes step forward for her people. Kisara silently processed the princess's reveal.

"Don't worry about my fate," Adena brushed off their worry. "For with the legend comes a prophecy. And it predicts that epic heroes will come to Sin Lau from beyond the distant mountains. It is these great heroes who, united, will create a power that is strong enough to destroy the Mythic Dragon!"

"Why do so many stories involve slaying the dragon?" Kisara muttered.

"Are you saying you think that that's us?" Yugi asked.

"You think we're the epic heroes from the prophecy?" Mai added.

"Yes," the princess nodded. "On your shoulders rests the fate of our kingdom."

"All right!" Joey cheered. "Super Joey is here to save the day!"

"Super Dork's more like it," Mai shot him down. "This isn't an eating contest, Joey. This is dangerous."

"She's right, Joey" Kisara agreed.

"Whatever," the blond blew off their concern. "We gotta go through that Mythic Dragon to rescue Kaiba anyway, right? Way I see it, there's no choice." Yugi and Mokuba nodded in agreement.

"To properly prepare you," Adena drew their attention again. "We will adorn you in the manner of our greatest heroes."

They were escorted to a dressing room while servants brought them different garb to try. Kisara pulled off her hoodie and set it on a hook as she looked over the selection of armors and weapons. "Oh, you're a dragon warrior," Adena commented, seeing the silver dragon on the back of the hoodie now that Kisara's hair wasn't covering it.

"I like dragons," she said, "but I don't know if I'd call myself a dragon warrior."

"I have the perfect armor for you," Adena gestured to a servant. The servant left and came back with gleaming white metal armor with sapphire blue cloth. "This is the armor of the White Dragon Warrior."

White Dragon Warrior? "Thank you," Kisara accepted the armor and ducked into one of the changing rooms. She liked the color scheme of this one, and she wasn't going to get anywhere staring at the others. But she wondered about the name of the armor. It seemed a white dragon was destined to follow her wherever she went. Shaking it off, Kisara started with the sapphire skirt, careful of the white armor meant to protect her thighs; overall the skirt went to just above her knees. Then she donned the sapphire shirt followed by the white breastplate, the metal secure around her torso. The boots came to her knees, and the gauntlets were styled as claws over her hands. Kisara smiled at the white dragon embroidered on the sapphire cape before securing it around her neck. Over the cape she added the shoulder pieces, styled almost like dragon wings themselves. To finish the look, she placed the stylized white helmet on her head, the metal covering her forehead, ears, and back of her neck. She grinned at the very dragon features the helmet wore, including sapphire detailing where the eyes of the dragon would be. Her hair streamed down her back from under the helmet, covering part of the cape's embroidery. Strapping her duel disk back on along with the white sword sheath left for her, Kisara stepped out of the changing room.

"A girl like me could get used to this," Mai said, attaching a sheathed sword onto her belt. The violet dress with a dark silvery-gray armor and matching boots and gauntlets suited her. "How'd you, make out, Yugi?"

Yugi just finished attaching the red cape to his armor before turning around. He was the picture of the knights from Kisara's fairy tales with his navy armor over black pants and shirt and his brown boots and gauntlets. The gold of the Millennium Puzzle gleamed against the navy armor. So far it seemed Kisara was the only one who received any kind of headgear. "Well, I feel a bit silly," Yugi admitted.

"Silly? I think you look just great," Mai told him.

"If you say so," Yugi said.

"She's right, Yugi," Kisara said, drawing her two friends' attention. "You look like the hero of any story."

"I think you look more impressive than any of us," Mai complimented the white-haired girl. "They weren't kidding about it being dragon warrior. That armor is made for you. You look like you could take on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"Thanks, Mai," she looked away at the praise. "Are you sure about being here though? The game's been reprogrammed from what you were led to believe."

"You could be putting yourself in danger," Yugi added.

"Guys, did you check me out?" Mai asked. "I look way too good to be sitting at home."

"You look great, Mai," Kisara smiled at the blonde.

"Where's Joey anyway?" Mai looked around for the missing member of the party.

"And Mokuba," Kisara added.

"Mokuba finished changing and went to talk to Adena," Yugi answered. "I don't know about Joey."

"I'm back here," Joey pulled enough the changing curtain aside to show his face but not anything else. "And back here is just where I'm staying too."

"Oh come on," Mai chastised him. "Don't be such a wimp."

"It can't be that bad," Kisara said. It really couldn't. Their armor may have some variances in styles and colors, but they were all the same basic thing. Weren't they?

Joey grumbled and pulled back the curtain, revealing a brown, furry, caveman-like tunic that went to just above his knees and only one shoulder strap, leaving the upper right side of his chest bare. His hands and forearms were covered in wrapped cloth, and his shins bore similar wrapping above his sandals. To complete the look, he wore a skull helmet and carried a wooden mace. "I'm wearing a bathroom rug, Mai!" Joey couldn't keep the embarrassment off his face. Kisara kept her expression neutral as she resisted the urge to laugh. A glance to Yugi showed he was having a similar struggle. Mai just stared at him, unable to process what she was seeing.

"But, Joey," Adena's grandmother protested. "This is the traditional garb of our greatest national hero."

Before Joey could try to regain some of his dignity with a response, lightning struck outside followed by a clap of thunder. The four heroes all tried to look out the window at the same time. "That storm came out of nowhere," Mai said.

"Something's not right," Kisara said.

"Yeah, I've got a real bad feeling about this," Yugi agreed.

The group headed to the balcony joined by Mokuba and Adena. "Princess, it's far too dangerous for you out here," her grandmother said. The black-haired lookalikes ignored her.

"Mokuba, where have you been?" Kisara asked.

"Look! A castle floating in the sky!" Yugi pointed to a stone structure floating in the distance above them, drawing Kisara's attention away from her friend and the princess. "The Castle of Dark Illusions."

Several dots broke away from the castle and slowly grew bigger. Or closer. Creatures were exiting from the castle and heading right towards them. "Forget the castle," Mai noticed the enemies as well. "Look at all those Duel Monsters."

"It looks like they've come to get their offering," Joey said. "We gotta protect the princess."

"Look there!" Yugi spotted a figure hopping from tower to tower towards them. "The Armed Ninja."

Kisara stepped in front of Adena. "He won't get far," she drew a card. "Go, Seiyaryu!" The pink dragon appeared above her. "Go, Razor Fire Blast!" The dragon roasted several of the monsters close to them.

"This won't work," Yugi said. "There are too many to attack like this."

"So what do we do?" Kisara asked.

"Call your dragon back," he answered. "I have an idea."

"Seiyaryu, return!" The dragon disappeared.

"I'll activate the Dark Hole magic card!" Yugi held up his card. "And then they'll be lost in its vortex!"

A throwing dagger pierced Yugi's magic card before it could activate. On the nearest tower, the Armed Ninja stood, staring at its prey. It tossed a net over the princess, ensnaring her.

"Axe Raider!" Joey held up two cards. "Use Kunai with Chain to attack!" The warrior threw the chain at the ninja, destroying it. The net and its captive dropped. A bird creature swooped down and grabbed it before the players could. The entire swarm of monsters retreated into the castle, and the weather returned to normal.

"Oh no, what have I done?" Mokuba dropped to his knees. "They've taken Mokuba. He's gone. Mokuba's gone."

"What?" Kisara looked to her younger friend and met Adena's eyes. "Adena?"

"So they got Mokuba?" Mai asked to clarify.

"Yes," Adena answered. "That was him. He wanted to go. It's all my fault. He was so brave, and I was afraid." She looked to Kisara, holding a slip of paper out to her. "He asked me to give you this."

Kisara took the note, recognizing Mokuba's handwriting. Kisara, don't worry about me. I couldn't tell you my idea because I knew you'd try to stop me. I'm going to find Seto, and we'll find a way to escape the castle. We'll see you soon. "Oh, Mokuba," she sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Please, you must save him!" Adena pleaded.

"We will," Kisara wrapped her arms around the armored princess, pulling the girl into a hug. "I promise you we will find a way into that castle and get him back. Though I'm going to have to have a talk with Mokuba about skipping steps. And with both him and Seto about getting themselves captured by our enemies."

"Hey, look at that," Yugi pointed to something on the ground. Moving to the edge of the balcony, the others could see the dusty white outline of a bird. "Ancient ruins. They must have been uncovered by the storm."

"That's the symbol of the legendary flying machine!" Adena exclaimed, pulling away from Kisara.

"So this is where the hero hid it," Kisara said.

"But even if it is buried under there, it must be a fossil by now," Joey pointed out. "How could we restore it?"

"I don't know," Yugi answered. "But it's our only hope of rescuing the Kaiba brothers. Let's go down there and check it out."

Their closer examination led them to bad news. Half the ship was still buried under the earth, and the parts they could see were covered with rust and other signs of age. "This is hopeless," Joey said. "There's no way a ship this old is going to fly,"

"No, it won't," Yugi agreed. "That's why we have to restore it to the way it was a thousand years ago."

"Restore it?" Joey repeated. "But how's that possible."

"I know how," Kisara said. "We need the power of time."

"Of course!" Mai realized the same answer. "Don't you get it, Joey?

"Huh?" Joey looked at each of them, still not understanding their meaning.

"Listen," Yugi said. "If the passage of time corroded the flying machine, then turning back the clock will make it as good as new. And what card can turn back the clock, Joey?"

"Oh!" Joey finally caught on. "The one you gave me before Pegasus's tournament: the Time Wizard! It can make things like they were a thousand years ago." He pulled the card from his deck. "But if the hands land on skulls, it'll take our LifePoints."

"We don't have a choice," Kisara said. "Seto and Mokuba are counting on us."

"We've got to risk it, Yugi agreed. Mai nodded as well.

"Here goes nothing," Joey summoned the monster. "Time Wizard, take these ruins back a thousand years. Time Magic!" The spinner on the clock magician's staff spun and landed on a tower. The entire ruins glowed with blue magic, encircling the entire area.

Slowly, stones and buildings reassembled themselves as time marched backwards. As the blue light faded, the group stood in the center of the restored town. The white lines of the bird shape from the painting were clearly drawn underneath them. "Old Sin Lau," Mai turned in a circle so she could take in the entire sight. "It's beautiful."

"It didn't work," Joey looked around for the flying machine.

The ground shook beneath them, breaking apart the earth making up the white outline. "I think you spoke too soon, Joey," Yugi said. "Something's happening." The earthquake tossed the four players into a heap. Kisara crashed into Yugi, and Joey and Mai collided. The ground beneath them rose, lifting the players higher and higher into the air.

"I think it worked," Kisara said. "We are now airborne."

"I guess that Time Wizard must have done the trick," Joey grinned.

"You did it!" Mai threw her arms around him.

Kisara bit back a smile at the two as cheering filled the air. Adena, her guards, and what seemed like every citizen of Sin Lau stood below them, sending their sentiments to the four. "Talk about a bon voyage," Joey commented.

Yugi waved to the crowd. "So long everyone!" he yelled.

A fairy dressed in blue flew up to join them. "Does this mean you want to come with us?" Yugi asked. The sprite nodded and situated herself behind Yugi's bangs again. "All right them. Kaiba, we're on our way."

Joey raced to the front of the ship. "I'm driving! I called it! I'm driving!"

"Do you even know how to drive this thing?" Kisara asked.

"How hard can it be?" Joey spun the wheel to the left, turning the airship in the same direction. "Let's go!"

"So what do we do now?" Kisara turned to Yugi and Mai.

"We prepare ourselves for whatever's inside that castle," Yugi answered. "We don't know what all monsters will be in there. We just know there are a lot."

"I'm glad your grandpa let me borrow the Blue-Eyes then," Kisara looked to her deck. "I have feeling things are only going to get worse from here."

"We'll handle whatever this game throws at us," Mai insisted.

"Uh, this is your captain speaking," Joey called from his place at the steering wheel. "If you direct your attention to the left side of our aircraft, you can see that freaky floating castle… some clouds… and what appears to be a swarm of ferocious winged monsters ready to devour us!"

"Hang on!" Yugi commanded them.

"Here they come," Joey turned the wheel as the monsters charged.

"And I couldn't be more ready," Mai smirked and held up two cards. "Attack, Harpie Lady!" The bird woman snapped her Rose Whip at the monsters.

"Attack, Giltia the Dark Knight!" Joey called on his mystic warrior. Gilita twirled his weapon, forcing the creatures away from the ship.

"Go, Hyozanryu! Diamond Devastator!" Kisara's diamond dragon blasted through several of the winged monsters.

"Dark Magician, attack!" Yugi summoned his purple-robed spellcaster. The Dark Magic Attack vaporized all the enemies surrounding him.

"All right!" Joey cheered. "Our monsters are kicking butt!"

Explosions shook the ship. A look over the edge saw several metallic sphere monsters exploding on contact with the ship. The next collision knocked Yugi away from the group, sending him on his back to the middle of the platform. A brown bird monster lunged at him. "Yugi, look out!" Mai called to him.

Dark Magician raced to his master, but he was too far away. Earu threw herself between Yugi and the monster's attack. The little fairy was crushed in the monster's claw, but her intervention gave Dark Magician enough time to get to Yugi and destroy the monster. "Swords of Revealing Light!" Yugi played a magic card.

Kisara took advantage of the freeze in the monsters' assault to run to her friend. "Yugi, Earu, are you okay?"

"I am but…" Yugi held the fairy in his hands. "Earu, say something."

The fairy smiled at them, and then she dissolved, disappearing in a flurry of sparks. "No," tears welled in Yugi's eyes. "She's been digitized." His now empty hands shook. "I've had enough!" The Millennium Puzzle flashed with light, and Yami took over. "Joey, charge ahead," Yami commanded.

The blond nodded and steered the ship towards the castle. A minute later, something halted their motion. Kisara could just see the gleam of magic as the bow of the ship hit it. "We've hit the magical barrier," she said.

"Let's hope this ship lives up to the legend," Joey kept the ship on course. "We should be able to pass right through it."

It was slow, but airship forced its way through and flew them closer to the castle. "We made it guys! We're totally home free!" Joey grinned. "We're almost to the Castle of Dark Illusions!"

"Not quite," Yami warned. "Turn!"

Joey turned the ship to avoid a blast of fire that shot out from the castle. The flames hit the left wing of the ship. "It's a Darkfire Dragon!" Mai identified the creature. "Harpie, attack!" She boosted her monster with her Cyber Shield.

It was too late for the ship; the flames soon caused the entire ship to explode. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Seiyaryu, get us out of here!" Kisara called on her two favorite dragons. The Blue-Eyes caught her and Yami; Joey and Mai flew away on Seiyaryu. Hyozanryu carried Giltia and Dark Magician. The Harpie Lady flew ahead of the group, her whip ready to strike any other enemies who came close.

"That was quick thinking, Kisara," Joey called from the pink dragon. Mai tightly held on to him as they flew closer to the castle.

"Glad to help," Kisara grinned, thrilled to be riding the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Did you plan on those two being together?" Yami asked from behind her.

"It crossed my mind," she admitted. "I'm not as sure about them liking each other as I am about Yugi liking Tea. But this is good practice for that. At least for finding a subtle way to put them together. I don't think we'll ride dragons like this too often."

"I forgot you can tell us apart," Yami smirked. "Yugi says you better not try anything like this on him."

"So I should count on your help for future plans?" Kisara grinned. She could only imagine the expression on Yugi's face.

"If the time is right," Yami answered, grinning back at her.

"By the way, is there something you'd like me to call you?" she asked. Admitting she already knew his name by eavesdropping on him and Yugi seemed kind of creepy, and she wasn't even sure why she had been able to see him at Duelist Kingdom. It would be better if he told her on his own.

"You can stick with Yugi around the others," he answered. "I know it's confusing to them. But my name is Yami."

"I'm sure the others will learn to tell the difference in time, Yami," Kisara nodded as they entered the castle. "But for now, let's go find Seto."

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

"Wake up, Kaiba." Seto groaned and narrowed his eyes as the Witty Phantom returned. "You programmed me to torment my captives, not let them sleep."

"Guess you weren't my most inspired creation," Seto rolled eyes at the Duel Monster.

The Phantom laughed. "Come now, Kaiba. Give yourself some credit. After all, just look at who I managed to snatch." He pointed to a spot on ground; at his command, it glowed, and a figure with long black hair dressed in a frilly pink and white dress appeared. "His disguise didn't fool us."

Seto thought it was his NPC, but the figure pulled off the dress, revealing dark green and white armor. "Seto!" Mokuba stood up and greeted him.

"Mokuba, what are you doing here?" Seto asked. It was bad enough Seto himself was trapped; now his brother was here too?

"What do you think, Big Brother?" Mokuba raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm here to save you."

"Please," Witty Phantom scoffed. "You're not in a position to be saving anyone." He grinned. "No you're about to join your brother for a dip in the Lava Pool of Atonement. And once that ritual is completed, the Mythic Dragon will be unleashed!"

"No way!" Mokuba drew a card. "Swordstalker, free my brother!"

The demon swordsman slashed through the ropes binding Seto to the stone. He dropped to the ground and rubbed his arms. "Seto, here," Mokuba held out the duel disk to him. "Your deck."

So that's where it went. "Thanks, Little Brother," Seto smirked.

"Wait, no!" The panic on Witty Phantom's face was delightful as Seto strapped his duel disk back on.

"Time for a trip to the recycle bin, Phantom," Seto smirked. "Go, Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Blast that Phantom!" Witty Phantom tried to run, but his dragon was faster. The White Lightning vaporized the nuisance. "Come on, let's go," Seto commanded his brother.

"Right," Mokuba agreed.

The next cavern was filled with Armed Ninjas like the one that originally captured Seto. They wouldn't surprise him with the same trick twice. One threw a Dragon Capture Jar at them; Seto countered with Trap Master, destroying the jar. Now the Blue-Eyes it captured earlier was free, and the two dragons hovered over the brothers. The two dragons blasted through all the ninjas. Seto smirked as the room was emptied of their data.

"Now, Mokuba," Seto turned to his brother. "Tell me how you got here."

"Don't be mad," Mokuba begged. "But I got Kisara and her friends to help."

"You did what?" Seto scowled. He didn't mind Mokuba turning to Kisara; Mokuba needed a friend. But this was no place for her. And her friends—Yugi and those other geeks were wandering through his world? He clenched his fist. That mutt Wheeler better not wreck anything. "You know how I feel about Yugi Muto," he spat.

Mokuba looked away. "But I didn't know who else to turn to. Kisara was the only one I knew we could trust."

"Anyone else," Seto turned away, heading towards the exit. He didn't worry about Mokuba; his brother would follow him so they could leave the reprogrammed annoyance. "Now let's see if we can escape this game."

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

"I can't hold on much longer," Tristan groaned. "Tea, we might be in big trouble."

"We've got to hold on," Tea said, ignoring the protest her arms were making.

A hand pushed its way through the barricade. "I see an opening!" its owner called.

"No, you don't!" Tea slapped the hand away and relocked the door. Tristan situated the barricade better in front of the door.

"We're getting in there, you little thumb-suckers," Kemo's voice stood out from the other men. Tea wouldn't forget the creepy guard from Duelist Kingdom any time soon. "Just you wait."

"No way," Tristan scowled at the door. "Our friends are on a rescue mission, and you're not yanking them out of it." He grabbed a nearby pipe, holding it ready in case the guards made it past the barricade.

Tea grabbed another one, ignoring the fact she had no idea how to use it. I really hope it doesn't come to this. She looked to Yugi's pod again. Yugi, come back soon, or you might not be able to come back at all!

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

"What on earth? A floating castle with its own forest?" Joey said as the group ran through the forest. Blue-Eyes and Seiyaryu flew over them

"And I thought I was obsessed with fairy tales," Kisara carefully watched their surroundings for possible surprises. "This place looks like something out of one of my books."

"I think maybe Kaiba ought to spend more time in reality," Joey commented.

"Keep your guard up," Yami warned.

"Look!" Mai pointed to a large tree with grotesque growths on it. Buzzing filled the area. "Cocoons of Evolution."

"But why are they buzzing?" Joey asked.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Kisara said.

"I don't think they're the ones buzzing, Joey," Mai watched the trees. Large bees emerged from them, their eyes and stingers pointed towards the players. "It's a whole swarm of Killer Needles!"

"Not a problem," Joey smirked. "Attack, Giltia!"

"Roast them, Blue-Eyes!" Kisara commanded her dragon. The White Lightning severely reduced the insects' force.

A large brown insect jumped out and latched itself onto Giltia, destroying itself and the Dark Knight. "Man-Eaters," Yami identified the monster. "This must be one huge bug nest."

"I hate bugs," Kisara grimaced as the swarm charged them again.

"Stand strong," Yami held up a card. "Go, Mirror Force!"

A barrier materialized between Kisara's dragon and the incoming swarm. The bugs ran into it and burst into flames, showering the area with sparks. Soon the whole area was covered in flames.

Kisara felt a spark of power. "Wherever Seto is, he just summoned Blue-Eyes," she told the others.

"How do you know?" Joey asked. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Right, forget I asked."

"Look, the fire!" Mai drew their attention to the tree with the Cocoons. "It's disturbing the Cocoons! They're hatching!" Each Cocoon burst and released a large, green moth. A swarm of Great Moths flew towards them.

"The Duelist Kingdom hits just keep coming," Kisara frowned. "How do we want to play this?"

"With these," Yami held up two cards. Catapult Turtle and Kuriboh appeared before him. The brown furball loaded itself on the turtle's launch pad.

"A Kuriboh on a catapult?" Joey asked.

"Not just a Kuriboh, but a team," Yami corrected him. "Get ready for some fireworks. Go, Multiply!" The turtle launched the Kuriboh; the furball multiplied as it flew through the air. Each Kuriboh self-destructed as it made contact with the Great Moths. The oversized bugs dropped as they burned, disappearing into the flames engulfing the forest.

"Just like how you blinded Pegasus's eyesore," Kisara commented.

"All right!" Joey and Mai cheered and high-fived each other.

"Let's keep moving," Yami commanded.

The remains of the forest soon gave way to a dark cavern. "From creepy forest to creepy cavern," Joey sighed. "And still no trace of Kaiba or Mokuba."

"They're okay," Kisara insisted.

A roar echoed through the cavern. "Do you hear that?" Joey asked.

"It's Seto," Kisara said. "That's the roar of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

White Lightning shot through the ceiling, blinding the four players. The head of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared through the opening. Kisara's dragon moved to the front to protect the group. Seto and Mokuba dropped down from their dragon's head.

"Petit Frère, mon ami!" Kisara ran to her friends.

"I told you we'd be fine, Sœur," Mokuba grinned and rubbed his upper lip with his finger.

"Mon meilleur ami," Seto nodded to her.

Kisara rolled her eyes and hugged him. "What did I say about scaring me like this?" she whispered.

"What? Did you need to feel the need to come to my rescue? I'm pretty sure it was the knight who wore the armor and not the dragon," Seto smirked.

"Well, thanks to the princess you programmed in this game, I got to be both," Kisara smirked back.

"It looks good on you."

"So are they actually a couple?" Mai asked.

"They might as well be," Joey answered.

"Shut up, Joey/Wheeler!" the two friends said at the same time. Two pairs of blue eyes glared at the blond. Mokuba laughed. Yami and Mai kept their expressions neutral, but Kisara could see the amusement in their eyes.

"Wheeler, you look like an overgrown monkey in that outfit," Seto redirected the conversation to fully making fun of Joey.

"Overgrown monkey?" Joey repeated. "That's the thanks I get for coming to your rescue?"

"Seto, do you have to push his buttons?" Kisara sighed.

Laughing filled the cavern. "Congratulations, gamers," a voice boomed. A black vortex opened behind Seto. "You've made it to the final level."

"Gangsley," Mokuba muttered.

"Correction, you slime ball," Seto said. "We've beaten the game."

"Oh, is that what you think, Seto Kaiba?" the voice Mokuba called Gangsley scoffed.

"That's right," Seto clenched his fist as he made his point. "I escaped the lava pool; therefore, the Mythic Dragon wasn't summoned. That means this game is over."

A different voice laughed at his logic. "It will be game over all right," it said. "But for you, not us."

Their surroundings turned black before shifting to what seemed to be one large circuit board. "What's going on?" Kisara asked.

"What Johnson was talking about," Mokuba realized. "Nesbitt must have made another change to the game."

"They've rewritten the program," Seto said. "They're summoning the Mythic Dragon themselves."

"And I was hoping to avoid that battle," Kisara muttered. "I hate battling other dragons."

A large golden dragon appeared in front of them, its wing span filling the room. But the most noticeable feature was its head—or rather heads. It had five, each one representing a different element. The number above it read 5000 attack points.

"Oh man," Joey's eyes widened at the size of the dragon.

"All right, everyone, stay close," Yami commanded. "We'll win together, or together we'll fall."

"Man, have I had it with this virtual reality stuff," Joey muttered. "Rescuing Kaiba was one thing, but now we gotta deal with this Mythic Dragon, too? I'm really starting to miss my body."

"Suck it up," Seto told him. "There's only one way we can get out of this game."

"And complaining isn't going to help, Joey," Kisara added. "We'll beat this dragon just like everything else in this game."

"I agree," Yami chimed in. "Let's go."

"Me first," Mai stepped forward, "and I call the Harpie Lady Sisters!" Her one Harpie Lady multiplied into three. Electricity sparked across their bodies, stunning them. "What's happening?"

"Just another bit of reprogramming we did," Gangsley laughed. The image of the Lord of Dragons appeared beneath them.

"We call it the Dragon's Seal," the voice Mokuba called Johnson continued. "And it makes this lair a sacred place where only dragon class monsters are allowed to attack. Every other monster type is useless."

"You say that like it should faze me," Kisara pulled a card from her deck. "My deck is nothing but dragons. Go, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Her dragon flew over the group, roaring at the opposing dragon.

Seto laughed. "You dare challenge me to a battle of dragons? You five should know better than that. And not to let Kisara steal my thunder, I call on my own Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Both dragons roared and hovered over them.

"Only dragons, huh?" Joey smirked. "Okay, fine. Go, Red-Eyes!" The dragon's black scales contrasted sharply against the white of Kisara and Seto's dragons.

"Harpies' Pet Dragon!" Mai called on the servant of her Harpies.

"And I summon Curse of Dragon!" Yami added his yellow dragon to their lineup. "Your Mythic Dragon will not stand against all that we have set against it."

"Attack!" The five dragons all attacked the Mythic Dragon at the same time. The opposing dragon countered, resulting in a stalemate.

"So all the attacks just cancelled each other out," Kisara commented.

"So they did," the voices said. "But one of your team has not dragon with which to attack or defend. Isn't that right, Mokuba?"

"You wouldn't!" Seto's eyes widened.

One of the dragon heads fired a shot at Mokuba. "No!" Kisara ran to him.

"Block it, Red-Eyes!"

Kisara reached Mokuba just as the Red-Eyes Black Dragon intercepted the blast. The dragon disintegrated in the blast. "Joey!" Kisara called to him, pulling Mokuba close to her. Joey dropped to his knees as his LifePoints hit zero. "Stay close to me," she told Mokuba.

Yami and Mai ran to the downed blond. "So long," he said. "I'm done for."

"Don't say that," Yami insisted.

"Stay with us, please," Mai begged.

"You can't go," Mokuba added.

"Joey," Kisara blinked away tears. They couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose someone else she cared about.

Joey gave them a thumbs-up before his body disappeared in a shower of sparks. Just like Earu. "No," Kisara whispered.

"You creeps!" Mai cried as her tears freely fell. "What kind of sick twisted game have you turned this into?"

"Game?" Gangsley laughed. "This ceased to be a game long ago."

"I am really sick of people saying that," Kisara snapped.

"We need a new tactic," Seto said, not seeming to care about Joey's fate.

"Yes," Yami pulled himself together. "With our dragons alone, we won't win this. But I think I know how we can."

"What are you thinking?" Kisara asked.

"As strong as that Mythic Dragon might be, there's one creature that can beat it," Yami answered. He pulled a card from his deck. "Black Luster Soldier, I summon you by sacrificing the power of Gaia, the Fierce Knight, and my Curse of Dragon!" The altar with the coat of arms appeared as the two monsters were sacrificed. The black-and-gold armored warrior shot from the door, kneeling under the power of the Dragon's Seal.

The Mythic Dragon's controllers; laughed. "Weren't you listening? Your Black Luster Soldier is not a dragon; therefore, he can't attack," Gangsley said.

"But we can still attack him," Johnson added.

"No, you can't!" Mai shouted. "My Pet Dragon will stop you!" The pink dragon attacked the dragon alone; it was soon overpowered by the five heads.

"Mai!" Kisara yelled.

"Alone her dragon couldn't stand against it," Yami bit his lip as Mai's LifePoints hit zero. He knelt next to her.

"Yugi, it looks like I'm not going to be around to see how this whole thing turns out," she said. "Sorry. I tried my best. Guess now it's—it's up to you." Mai disappeared in a shower of sparks.

Kisara held Mokuba as tears escaped her eyes. "Mai, with all my might, I will avenge you," Yami promised. "You and Joey." He turned to Seto. "Kaiba, this may be our one chance. We have to work as a team."

"No way," Seto refused. "You don't even know what you're doing."

"Just trust me, Kaiba," Yami pleaded.

"I don't have to do anything," Seto turned away. "I can win this battle my own way.

"Shut up and listen to him, Seto," Kisara stood up and glared at him. "Or don't you care we lost Joey and Mai? You've always said Mokuba comes first. Then maybe show a little compassion for the person who gave his life to save him! For the people who sacrificed themselves to give us a chance to get out of here alive!"

"None of you will get out of here alive," one of the voices scoffed. "Two of your group are already gone, and now we'll make it three!" The dragon fired another shot.

"Kaiba, call your Ultimate Dragon!" Yami pleaded.

"Silence!' Seto told him.

Time slowed down as Kisara realized what the dragon was targeting: Seto himself. She threw herself in front of him; she heard Mokuba push him away behind her before lightning engulfed her.

She fell backwards into Seto's arms. Everything was numb as she looked into his eyes. "Please, Seto," Kisara reached up to touch his cheek despite how heavy her arm felt. She needed him to work with Yami and Mokuba. They had to make out of here okay. Seto had to work with Yami. "Trust him…" Darkness swarmed her vision. "Please… it's the only way to get Mokuba out of here."

"Kisara, don't go," Mokuba begged.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you more," she smiled. "Seto, don't try to do everything yourself."

And everything went black.

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

Why were they all so needy? Couldn't the dorks do anything by themselves? Yugi was the world champion now; he shouldn't need help to take down the pathetic corporate slime's dragon. And if he really did, it wouldn't be long before Seto reclaimed his title from Yugi Muto.

The only thing they agreed on was that attacking with just their dragons wasn't going to work. Then Wheeler and Valentine had to get themselves eliminated. Well, not that Seto needed them to win. He could do this on his own.

"Shut up and listen to him," Kisara glared at him. Seto looked away from her. That was the same icy stare he received right before he lost to Yugi that day. "Or don't you care we lost Joey and Mai?" He didn't need her lecturing him right now; he needed to focus on getting Mokuba out of here. "You've always said Mokuba comes first. Then maybe show a little compassion for the person who gave his life to save him! For the people who sacrificed themselves to give us a chance to get out of her alive!"

That struck a chord with him; he kept his back turned to the others. Wheeler had given himself up to save Mokuba. Seto hated Wheeler; he was a third-rate mutt who shouldn't have even been here. But he saved the one person Seto would endure anything for.

"None of you will make it out of here alive," Ganglsey said. "Two of your group are already gone, and now we'll make it three." The dragon launched an attack.

"Kaiba, call your Ultimate Dragon!" Yugi pleaded.

"Silence!" Seto snapped. He didn't need Yugi's help. He didn't need anyone's help.

"Seto, it's not your dragon he's attacking!" Mokuba shouted. He shoved Seto out of the way. "It's you!"

"Mokuba!" Seto turned back to his brother, but another figure blocked the shot. Seto could just see white and sapphire blue against the lightning attack—Kisara's long hair and cape. He caught her as she fell backwards, kneeling as he held her close. Her LifePoints dropped to zero.

"Please, Seto," she begged, reaching her hand to his cheek. "Trust him… Please… It's the only way to get Mokuba out of here."

"Kisara, don't go," Mokuba was right by them, begging her to stay.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you more," she smiled at him. "Seto, don't try to do everything yourself." Then she disappeared in a shower of sparks. The last thing Seto felt was her fingertips brushing his cheek.

"No!" Mokuba cried, kneeling next to where she had been.

Seto went numb. No. Not again. Again? Why would he think again? This hadn't happened before. It couldn't be happening now. Seto clenched his fist. But it was. Kisara sacrificed herself for both him and Mokuba. If she hadn't blocked the shot, Mokuba would have been hit protecting him.

"Seto," Mokuba looked up to him, tears spilling out of his eyes.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon above Mokuba roared. The one Kisara summoned. But that should have been destroyed when she… Seto steeled himself and stood up. "All right then, come out, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" He fused Kisara's dragon with the one he already had out and another from his deck. The three-headed beast roared at the Five-Headed Dragon. "I hope you know what you're doing, Yugi."

"Do it, Seto!" Mokuba encouraged him. "For Kisara and the others."

"Fools," Gangsley scoffed. "Names mean nothing. "Though that dragon is powerful, ours is the ultimate one."

"For now, maybe," Yugi said. He closed his eyes, letting the blond in his ridiculous hair cover his eyes. "But once she has combined herself with another, your dragon's reign will be through."

She? Did Yugi just call the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon a girl?

"According to legend," Yugi continued, "when heroes are united, they will create a power strong enough to destroy the Mythic Dragon. We will fulfill that prophecy now!" Apparently Yugi spent too much time focusing on the lore of the game. "Go, Polymerization!" Seto's rival activated his own fusion spell. "Go, Soldier!"

Now Seto knew what he wanted to do. "Go, Ultimate Dragon!"

"Combine!"

"Mythic Dragon, obliterate them!" the traitors ordered their dragon to attack while Yugi's fusion was still forming. The attack bounced off the holographic vortex. "What? Nothing happened?"

"Oh something has happened," Yugi smirked. "Behold the supreme Dragon Master Knight!" The Soldier held a pair of reins as he stood behind the center head of the Ultimate Dragon. It radiated power as transparent versions of Wheeler's Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Valentine's Harpies' Pet Dragon appeared behind it.

"What's going on?" Johnson asked. "Those dragons were sent to the graveyard."

"Look, something's even happening to our Mythic Dragon!" Crump yelled.

A halo of purple light surrounded each dragon before being pulled into the blade of the Dragon Master Knight. "The Dragon Master Knight gains the attack power of every dragon ever played on the field—including ones that were already destroyed," Yugi explained. He clenched his fist. "Now in the memory of Joey… Mai… Kisara… we will topple your beast!"

"Take them down!" Mokuba yelled to them. He stood just behind Seto, protected against any other possible attacks.

"Attack, Dragon Master Knight!" Seto commanded the dragon.

"Dragon Saber Blast!" Yugi joined in the assault.

The Knight fired a multi-colored beam at the Mythic Dragon, enhanced by the colors of the other dragons. The traitors and their beast fell, obliterated by the Knight's power.

With the Mythic Dragon's destruction, everything in the room faded to black. With no physical structure, Seto, Mokuba, and Yugi fell. Seto grabbed his brother to protect him from whatever impact awaited them in the darkness.

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"Seto?" Mokuba shook him. "Seto, wake up!"

He blinked against the brightness, mentally groaning at the cheering surrounding them. Where are we now? Mokuba was all right; Seto couldn't see any injuries from their fall. Next to them, Yugi seemed in one piece. "What's this?" Seto asked, taking in their surroundings. They were on a dais of stone in front of a crowd of people. How long were those NPCs there while we were out?

"You did it!" the crowd called. "You slayed the dragon!"

"Our heroes!" a voice behind them cheered. "What you've done will keep my people and our land safe forever more!" Seto turned to see Adena, the NPC princess he'd programmed. She really did turn out more like Mokuba than I thought. Seto silently looked between his brother and the virtual character.

"We're not the ones you should be cheering," Yugi looked away from the princess.

"We can't celebrate without…" Mokuba trailed off and buried his face in Seto's blue trench coat. "Not without her," he whispered.

"Fear not," Adena assured them. "The losses you've suffered are too great for any hero to bear, no matter how strong they are." Seto and Mokuba looked up as Adena transformed herself into the Mystical Elf and began chanting.

"She's casting a spell to bring back our friends," Yugi realized.

A pillar of light shot in front of them; when it faded, Kisara and the other two lay on the ground in front of them along with a small fairy dressed in blue. "Kisara!" Mokuba shot from Seto's side to throw his arms around her.

"Petit Frère?" she looked around. "What happened?

"Seto and Yugi did it, Sœur," Mokuba told her.

Seto smirked and joined them. "Are we even now?"

"I guess," she smirked back. "I guess what I did was a lot scarier than you just getting captured."

"You really want to make this into a game?" he raised an eyebrow.

"You already did that," she countered. "You keep starting these who's going to save who chains."

"Whatever," he rolled her eyes at her.

Kisara looked past Seto to Yugi and the others. "I'm glad everyone's okay. I wouldn't have wanted to tell Tristan and Tea we lost Joey."

"I don't know what you see in those geeks," Seto sighed.

"Well maybe if you went outside and talked to people, you would," she teased him. Mokuba smothered a laugh next to them.

"I doubt that," Seto muttered.

A black portal opened next to the group. "That's the exit portal," Seto identified it. "Let's go, Mokuba."

"Hey, hold it a sec, Kaiba," Wheeler stopped him. "Don't you think the very least you could do is say 'thank you' or something?"

"I never asked for your help," Seto didn't look back at the mutt. "And as far as I'm concerned, I never needed it."

"Oh, come on!" Seto could imagine Wheeler resisting the urge to attack him. It would be amusing if he tried.

"Yugi, you on the other hand, I will offer some gratitude," Seto turned back to face his rival. "We made a good team. But don't think it means we'll be partnering up in true reality."

"Very well," Yugi accepted his sentiments. "But despite whatever grudge you may still hold against me and the others, perhaps you can at least begin to stop looking at us as just adversaries and more as friends."

He scowled. Seto got enough of the 'go out and make friends' sentiments from Kisara; he didn't need it from his rival too. Yugi would never be his friend. And once Seto reclaimed his title as the best duelist, he wouldn't have any other reason to interact with Yugi Muto. "Come on, Mokuba."

"We're coming!" Out of the corner of his eye, Seto saw Mokuba grab Kisara's hand and pull her behind him.

"Thank you, our heroes," Adena's voice rang out behind him, the ultimate signal to the end of Seto's game. "Your brave deeds will always be remembered here."

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The lid popped open on Kisara's pod, and the visor retracted. She was back in the real world. She pulled herself out and saw Yugi, Joey, and Mokuba doing the same thing. At the door, Tristan and Tea held pipes against the incoming Kemo and thugs. "You're back!" Tea called to them, relief written all over her face.

"And so is Kaiba," Yugi said. "He's probably getting out of his pod right now."

"Which probably isn't a good sign for those men that betrayed him," Kisara looked Kemo in the eye.

"Without you guys to guard your bosses, I'd say he's about ready to kick some butt!" Mokuba added.

"He's right. We gotta get back!" Kemo and the others fled.

"Bunch of wimps," Tristan laughed at them.

Yawning drew their attention to the back room. Mai stretched and got out of her pod. "She was here all along," Joey realized.

"In the flesh," she answered. "Is everything cool?"

"Sure looks that way," Yugi said.

"Because of you," Mokuba turned to face each of them. "All of you. So thanks."

"Oh, stop," Joey brushed off the eleven-year-old's gratitude. "Now go on and get out of here already. Your brother probably can't wait to see you."

"Okay, thanks again." Mokuba grabbed Kisara's hand. "Come on, let's go find him."

"Mokuba!" He didn't listen and just towed her out the door. Kisara gave an apologetic look to her friends as they rounded the corner.

"Catch you later, Kisara!" Joey laughed. "Now where's the john? I had like seven sodas before we got in those pods."

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"So this is the main KaibaCorp headquarters?" Kisara followed Mokuba through the maze of the building. She couldn't fathom how the two brothers knew where everything was. It was even bigger than the mansion.

"Yep," Mokuba grinned. The basement levels hold more of our prototype technology and other labs. The upper levels are more for business meetings and other corporate stuff that Seto handles. His office is on the top floor. It's got the best view."

"Is that where we're going now?"

"No, he's probably finishing up dealing the board. Or he's fixing the pods to undo the reprogramming they did."

"Then lead the way."

After checking a few other possibilities, they found Seto in the basement of the building working away at the virtual pod. He tapped several commands on the console, focus drawn all over his face. "Seto, are you going to try and fix everything in it tonight?" Mokuba asked.

"I'm just reinstating the safeguards," he answered, not looking up at them. "Once those are back in place, I can fix the reprogramming those traitors did. I'll also port Lara over so she can run diagnostics on it."

"But not all tonight," Kisara insisted, causing him to look up. Apparently he hadn't realized she was with Mokuba. "I think we have some catching up to do."

"I'll be done in a minute." Seto tapped a few more commands before stepping away from the console and pod. "Let's go."

"Where to now?" Kisara asked.

"Home?" Mokuba looked hopefully at his brother.

"Yeah, let's go. I'll page Roland to meet us out front."

"And the elevator was… that way?" Kisara pointed in the direction she thought their life was in.

"Other way," Seto started walking in the other direction.

"Excuse me for not knowing the layout of the building on my first visit, Mr. CEO," she rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure this is the largest building I've ever set foot in."

"You didn't have to come," Seto pointed out.

"I kind of did," she countered. Mokuba grinned at them.

A long black limousine pulled up in front of the building just as they arrived. From the driver's seat stepped a man in his mid-twenties dressed in a suit and dark glasses like every other guard Kisara had encountered since boarding the boat to Duelist Kingdom. He had dark green hair with a light green streak, and he said nothing as he opened the back door to the limousine for the three friends. "Thanks, Roland," Mokuba said as he hopped in.

"Thank you," Kisara kept her eye on the guard as she sat next to Mokuba. Based on everything that happened in the last week, she was wary of guards. Seto gave him a small nod and sat across from Kisara and Mokuba. The guard shut the door and walked around the car to the driver's door. He started the engine and pulled the limo into the street.

"What's wrong?" Mokuba asked.

"Call me slow to trust," Kisara answered. She didn't want to outright insult the guard.

Seto smirked. "You don't have to worry about Roland. He's loyal to us, even when Gozaburo was still around."

"I assure you, miss, that I am behind Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Mokuba completely," Roland said from the driver's seat.

"He's way nicer than Kemo and those other jerks," Mokuba grinned.

Kisara let herself relax with that. If both Seto and Mokuba praised Roland so highly, then he was probably someone trustworthy—unlike the others Seto only put up with because they were employees. Maybe Seto actually does have a friend other than me and Mokuba. Of course, that's assuming Seto actually still considers me a friend.

The ride to Kaiba Mansion was brief and uneventful. As the limo pulled up to the drive, Kisara was filled with both a sense of nostalgia and sadness. Back then they had so much fun playing together, and from the outside the mansion hadn't changed much. But things weren't the same; they had changed so much since then. And her mom was gone. The memories of playing with Seto and Mokuba were always framed by the time her mom was working, dictated by when her shift was done. Now there was nothing to frame the time the three spent figuring out where they went from here.

They wound up in the library. Not much had changed in the years Kisara had been away. The tables, shelves, and even the big enclosed desk were all the same. Even the books probably were, though Kisara had no way of knowing the entire collection then or now. "So what would you like to do?" Seto asked.

"Why are you asking?" she answered.

"You're the guest," he countered.

"I didn't even know I'd be coming."

"How about we play a game?" Mokuba suggested. "We could play Monopoly."

"Sure," Kisara agreed, but she inwardly groaned. Not only was she terrible at Monopoly, but Seto always won, and the brothers often gained up on her to make her bankrupt. That is, if she ever purchased enough property to build something. Or passed Go to collect $200. Jail was her worst enemy.

"Great!" Mokuba grinned. "I'll go grab it." He left to play the game.

"You only agreed to play because he asked, didn't you?" Seto smirked.

"What would you say if I did?" she raised an eyebrow at him and took a seat at one of the tables.

"That I'm glad Mokuba has you for a friend," he said. He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.

"And you?"

"I'm not in the business of having friends. I haven't needed them for a long time. But I think you're the exception to that rule."

"I'm not sure how I should respond to that."

"Respond how you like," Seto met her eyes. "I am serious about you and Mokuba though." He held up his cell phone. "He called you at least five times after I entered the simulation."

"He tried calling me?"

"I'm guessing you didn't answer."

Kisara shook her head. "As of today, I no longer have a cell phone." She explained what happened with her guardian and her current living conditions.

"So you decided to move in with Tea Gardner?" Seto raised an eyebrow.

"When she found out I needed a place to stay, she wouldn't take no for an answer," Kisara told him. "We had just finished moving my stuff to her place when it started raining. We hadn't even gotten settled in when Mokuba bolted into the game store."

"Well there won't be another incident like that," Seto stated. "Those traitors are gone for good, and that pod still has a long way to go before KaibaCorp can release it."

"Speaking of the pod," Kisara decided to ask what she'd been suspecting. "Is Princess Adena…?"

"Mom," he cut her off. "Adena was my mom's name."

"So I was right," she said. "I remember you mentioning her once. You should really tell Mokuba about her."

"There's not much to tell," he looked away.

"I'm sure he'd appreciate anything you could share."

Seto looked away. "I've made a habit of not dwelling on the past. It's over and done with. I've told Mokuba to do the same."

That's not entirely true, Seto. Kisara saw through her friend's mask. He wouldn't have programmed Princess Adena if he didn't hold on to at least a little bit of the past. At the same time, she didn't really know what had happened with Gozaburo after she left. He was never a kind man, no matter how philanthropic he appeared to the public. Between what she saw Seto endure when she was at the mansion and the way her mother muttered about her boss when they were at home, Kisara had no reason to like Gozaburo Kaiba. "I won't push you, Seto," she said. "But I'm here if you ever want to talk."

Mokuba returned with the board game at that moment, turning the teenagers' attention to setting up the game and organizing the cards. Seto got the bag of money playing piece, Kisara received the dog, and Mokuba claimed the horse and rider along with the role of banker. Kisara took the first roll of the dice, moving seven spaces forward and picking up a Chance card. Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. She groaned, eliciting a snicker from Mokuba and a smirk from Seto. And thus the game began. And with it, so did the renewal of a bond that had endured years of separation and heartache.

I don't really know how this is possible, but this chapter ended up being longer than the Yugi vs Pegasus by almost 4,000 words. But I also hate doing cliffhanger chapters (I think the only one I did was chapter five of this), so I couldn't bring myself to break it up. I hope you guys like it; overall it was a fun chapter to write. As for Adena being based on Seto and Mokuba's mom, I can't fully claim that idea. I browse Google Images for different characters when I'm bored, and I stumbled on a picture of Mokuba and Adena with a caption with that idea before I even started this story. I tried to track it down to give proper credit, but I couldn't find it again. So if whoever posted that picture is reading this, I love the idea and think it's the best explanation for why Mokuba and Adena look alike. On the other hand, Adena being the actual name of Seto and Mokuba's mom is my idea. Anyway, thanks for reading everyone!