Usual reminders:
Italics are thoughts or word emphasis. Bold is Malekos' speech.
After Jessica had calmed down enough to speak, she had explained the truth to everyone. About her curse, and about Malekos. They listened quietly as she explained. And she was glad to finally tell them that Malekos was learning to be her friend. They accepted her. She was finally part of a group of friends. People who cared about her for her and not caring about what she is. It was the first time she finally felt complete. She was loved.
After her explanation, they went back to trying to figure a way out of the virtual world. Jessica stood beside Yugi, their fingers laced together as they watched Joey shake an upside down Tristan. Duke joined him and pressed a few buttons, causing Tristan to transform in different ways before collapsing.
Yugi placed his free hand to his chin as he stared at the open panel on the monkey's back, and Jessica could see the gears turning in his mind if he had any. He bent down and hovered a finger over a button. "Maybe this red button is the one!"
Jessica grimaced and grabbed his arm before he could press it. "Aren't red buttons usually the dangerous ones in movies?"
"Well, yeah, but… We gotta try something."
She frowned and released his arm with a groan. She couldn't argue with that. All they've been doing is having to try out dangerous options and hope for the best each time. She watched as he pressed the button and the monkey got back up, it's face glowing red. The voice that activated definitely wasn't Tristan's voice, but something that belonged to the robot itself.
"I think we hit the jackpot." Yugi said as they watched a red beam of light shine from its eyes.
"Alright, I'll shut up next time," she huffed, causing him to elbow her gently in the ribs.
They watched as a door was projected and the door opened, revealing another area on the other side. They could see the name 'KaibaLand' written on a sign and there were three Blue-Eyes White Dragon statues in front of the building.
"KaibaLand? What's that?" Téa asked, voicing their questions.
"Well," Jessica breathed, gripping Yugi's hand. "Only one way to find out." And she led the way through the door.
They all stepped through the door and stopped on the other side to look around. "It looks like some kind of KaibaCorp amusement park," Yugi told them.
"Remind me never to waste my money here," Joey said, and they all knew his reason why.
Jessica looked around in awe. This was probably the only time she'd ever be at an amusement park, and it was empty of any crowds. Her green eyes were round and curious as she looked at the different buildings and statues from where they stood. "Amusement park…" She whispered, repeating what Yugi had called it. She had never been to one before, or at least that she could remember. She had too many bad memories that overruled any good ones she had of her early childhood years.
Yugi's hand squeezed hers and she glanced at him, noticing him smiling at her. "When we get back to our bodies and finish the tournament, I'll take you to one."
Her heart skipped a beat and she found herself blushing. Did he just promise their first date? Serenity's voice cut her off before she could respond and they all turned to see Tristan disappearing into the building they stood in front of.
"Follow him!" Yugi called and he led the chase, with Jessica at his side.
She almost stopped when Tristan tried to stop them for being 'intruders' but Joey just barreled right past him, and only Serenity stopped to scoop up the dazed monkey. They continued through the building to try and find the exit the program had mentioned.
They went into a room and found an old projector, which was still turned on yet not showing anything. They gathered around it and watched the tape, revealing it to be about Noah's past. Jessica watched silently as the rest of the gang asked questions amongst each other. After leaving the room, they checked all the other doors and hallways for any sign of an exit.
"Hey, guys! I found something!" Tristan's voice caught their attention and they followed it.
He had found an indoor train subway. There was one set of tracks, but no sign of the train. That could either be a good or a bad sign.
"Don't tell me you guys are thinking of following those tracks?" Téa asked, worried.
"Got any better ideas?" Tristan was the first to leap down onto the tracks.
The group stood there for a moment to figure out what they should do, but Tristan had found a ride for them. It was a man-powered ride, and they fit on it somehow. It took some effort to get it moving with all their weight, but soon Duke and Joey had it nearly flying down the tracks.
"Uh, why don't we slow down a bit?" Yugi called over the wind, worried about their momentum. He was holding onto the bar while his other arm was wrapped around Jessica's middle, and she was holding onto his shirt with tight fists.
"Are you trying to kill us all?" She snapped, glancing at their pathway worriedly. She only hoped they wouldn't run into a dead-end.
"You do know where the brakes are, right?" Téa asked, holding onto Serenity.
"Yeah! Have either of you guys seen one of these things before?!" Yugi asked the taller boys.
Joey found a lever and pulled on it. Sparks immediately started flying behind them and a shrill sound rang in Jessica's ears that made her grimace. But something broke and the sound and sparks were gone. The gang immediately panicked, shouting in fright as their ride continued down the tracks at high speeds.
Leave it to the guys to make a ride dangerous! Jessica closed her eyes and gripped Yugi's shirt tighter, and she felt his arm tighten around her in response. She didn't know how much time had passed or how many turns or comments the gang made, but soon she found that gravity was pulling them down. And they crash landed in a heap.
"Is everyone alright?" Yugi called, groaning.
"Define 'alright'." Joey groaned in response.
Jessica winced and growled. She was sick of all these crash landings she's had. She lifted her head and realized she was on top of Yugi again. Wincing, she pushed herself backwards into a sitting position. "I've been better," she grumbled, rubbing her head.
Yugi gasped and she snapped to attention, glancing around. They were on an outcropping of rock, surrounded by lava. The heat caused her skin to sweat immediately but she didn't dare take off her hoodie.
"Watch your step, guys." Jessica pushed herself to her feet and helped Yugi up, eyeing the lava warily. "Or it might be the last one you take." A quick glance around the group made her relax slightly. Everyone was accounted for.
"Look over there!" Joey called, pointing.
She followed his finger and spotted another outcropping where Kaiba stood with his deck master. His opponent was Noah, and she growled quietly to herself.
"Be careful, Kaiba!" Yugi called out to him.
Jessica watched the duel silently, glaring at Noah's small form across the lake of lava. How dare he do that to her! She was angry at him for making her relive the worst memory of her life, but she was glad for the outcome that it had. Now she has real friends. She stood up straight at that thought, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn't afraid anymore.
The ground began to shake around them, causing the lava to slosh dangerously at the rocks. Jessica stumbled backwards and she felt arms wrap around her and pull her down. It was Yugi, and he braced them on the ground until the earthquake had passed. She looked around quickly to make sure everyone was alright before standing up with Yugi's help.
Joey was questioning Kaiba's decision to destroy his monster of choice, and Yugi answered him. "Don't forget. When Kaiba's vampire is destroyed, it comes right back to the field in his next turn."
Jessica stood beside him with crossed arms, humming curiously as she watched the duel. "Smart choice."
"Kaiba made a good move, but Noah's still ahead of him by almost 2000 life points," Yugi explained. "There'll be plenty of time to celebrate later." She nodded her agreement. There was still a whole duel ahead of them and it wouldn't be over until someone's life points dropped to zero.
Noah played a spell card and the ground began rumbling again, but not as intense as the first time. They all looked around until Serenity pointed in the distance. It was a tidal wave coming right for them all. Jessica braced herself, and Yugi grabbed hold of her. She clutched his jacket as the water crashed around them, but luckily didn't touch them. They relaxed now that they were safe once more. But Kaiba's only monster was flushed away. The only good thing was that there was no more lava.
"Meet my deck master!" Noah shouted as something appeared from the water behind him. It was a large wooden boat, an ark. There was a strange stone pillar on its deck. Everyone gasped at its appearance, and it slowly set down into the water. The front opened up, and every monster that was sent to the graveyard began to be swallowed by it.
"It's swallowing every monster that's been sent to the graveyard!" Duke pointed out.
"But why?" Yugi asked, trying to figure it out.
"Just as that sphere holds my brain," Noah said, looking up at the glowing sphere in the sky that the gang finally took notice of. "My ship holds a precious cargo of its own, Seto."
"But what happens to those monsters once they enter the ship?"
Jessica was hardly listening anymore. She was staring up at the sphere in the sky. That's Noah's brain? How is that possible?
"This can't be good," Yugi's voice snapped her back to the duel. "Noah has the power of every monster on board his ship. So any time that Kaiba attacks him, Noah can just summon a monster to protect himself!"
"Plus, whenever a monster gets sent to the graveyard it goes right into that boat," Joey added.
Noah restated that they were in his world and that he controls everything, so all they could do was watch as Shinato's Ark began to rise into the air once more. The water below them began to deplete, receding somewhere. And then the scenery changed to a forested landscape around them. "Welcome to the dinosaur age!" He summoned Giant Rex, and it roared.
When it attacked, the gang braced themselves as Kaiba's Spear Dragon was knocked to the ground in front of their outcropping before exploding into pixels. Jessica growled, glaring at Noah. He began to talk about the sphere in the sky.
"When my mind was digitized, something happened. Something unexpected," he explained. "It seemed my brain waves were beginning to grow more powerful. I was able to access vast amounts of information through the databanks of my father's computer network. I was constantly absorbing facts and figures. I learned the answers to mankind's greatest secrets! Before long, I became a super human infused with knowledge beyond that of anyone on earth! But all of this wisdom, all of this understanding, all of this intelligence wasn't enough. Something was still missing from my life!"
Jessica narrowed her eyes as she put the pieces together. That's how he was able to look up information about me! There must have been some sort of news about what happened to my home, and my memory connected the puzzle.
Yes, little one. Malekos agreed, briefly surfacing. She growled in response, clenching her fists.
"One thing. A thing I was never able to achieve as a human. My father's trust!" Noah continued to talk. "And once I destroy you, I'll finally prove to him that KaibaCorp should be mine! You're just a lowly human, Seto. You're nothing next to me!" When Kaiba started laughing, he frowned. "I missed the joke."
"Behind your so-called superhuman intellect is nothing but a spoiled little brat! For your entire life people just handed things to you, Noah. But I had to work for what I have. KaibaCorp is mine 'cause I earned it! And the fact that you think you can take it away from me by winning one duel proves what I thought about you from the start."
"And what's that?"
Kaiba clenched a fist. "You're nuts! You've spent one too many years trapped in that bubble in the sky, Noah!"
"So, you think I'm insane for wanting to claim what's rightfully mine?"
"No, I think you're insane for trapping me in a virtual computer program and forcing me to duel you! Just to prove to your daddy that you're not the failure that he thinks you are. Well, I'm here to prove that you are. There's a reason why I'm in charge of KaibaCorp and you're not!"
"Why's that?"
"Because I'm the best man for the job. I'm more fit to run the company than you'll ever be! And deep down your father always knew that!"
Noah began to explain what had happened after he woke up from the accident. About how he started to change, and how his father started to change and visited him less and less. Essentially, he was abandoned. Jessica shifted uncomfortably when Kaiba brought up the fact that Gozaburo had chosen to abandon Noah on purpose due to it being better for him to be isolated in his virtual world and out of everyone's way.
Noah chuckled, denying what he just heard. "Seto, that could possibly be the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard in my entire life. Come on, now. My father wanting you to be president? You want me to believe my father focused his attention on you?" She tuned out most of his speech until Mokuba's name was brought up.
Jessica furrowed her brows. He mentioned Mokuba, but where was he? He talked about it like Mokuba was about to arrive. Even as Kaiba continued the duel, she glanced around with her eyes. She didn't see the younger Kaiba anywhere, and no doors had appeared. Not yet anyway. She gasped when the sky suddenly changed color and meteors fell to the ground, creating explosions until Kaiba's monster was destroyed. She didn't even move this time, simply narrowing her eyes as she watched the duel. She wasn't about to be afraid of illusions, regardless if it would hurt.
Then the scenery changed and a snowstorm flooded the area, creating an ice age. She shivered against the cold. Noah's monster turned into a popsicle and toppled over, destroying itself.
"That monster was his," Yugi said, not believing what he was seeing. Why would Noah destroy his own monster?
She narrowed her eyes as she watched. Noah summoned a mammoth and Kaiba brought his dragon back. But Noah wasn't worried about the power difference. Yugi's voice made her glance at him, he had figured something out.
"Hey, wait!" He clenched a fist, his eyes never leaving the duel. "Thanks to his Tusk Mammoth's special ability, both players lose life points when it's destroyed! It's like he's attacking himself too!"
"We've got to stop him!" Téa said.
Jessica glanced over her shoulder at them. "We can't do that from over here." She turned back to the duel and watched as Kaiba destroyed the mammoth and saved his own life points with his two face down cards. She whistled, impressed, as the gang cheered behind her.
Uh oh. In the middle of a duel again? It's double posting time~