Wow. Almost exactly a year after the last one. Don't I feel like crap.
You know what? Being an adult is terrible. I ended up only working on this chapter in small bits since the last chapter went up, even during my free time (protip- don't try to write or type in your bedroom or living room, your mind is hardwired to believe it's a place to relax so it will be incredibly difficult to motivate it to work). The rest of this last year has either been me exhausted by work in the summer and winter, or by school. Now there's complications with my graduation, and I got to start thinking about internships and jobs…
I'm not giving up on this story. Despite my difficulties writing it, I can feel the plot ideas racing through my very busy and cluttered imagination. I want to keep doing this one, and not stop midway like my last ones.
Speaking of which, since people are actually asking about my other stories, I should probably clarify again about those. I did post their statuses back in the first chapter, but it was my mistake not posting it on the actual stories themselves. I will be doing that soon, but for now, this is what is going on with my other stories, just as a reminder.
Beasts of Ragnarok- is on indefinite hiatus, and might completely remade, if I ever get the chance. I don't like many elements of the story looking back, I was introducing subplots I had no idea how to develop, and I honestly just feel like redoing the thing. But I still like this idea, in the end, so I'm not abandoning it.
Discord messes with Naruto- I am no longer a brony. Nothing bad happened, it just ended up actually being a fad in my case. I barely keep up with the show or anything to do with it nowadays, and if I do, it's more like checking in on a friend that grew apart. So basically, I have no interest in continuing this story. It didn't help that I feared I was going to end up making Discord's unpredictability predictable.
Ben 10 vs The Greatest in the Universe- This story has potential. I also didn't feel like I could continue this one, but because of its potential, I'm perfectly fine with allowing this one to be adopted… HOWEVER- I need to learn how the whole fanfic adoption process goes and how one handles that situation. If someone can tell me the basics, I'd love your advice. If someone wants to adopt, well… once again, let me learn how and then we'll see. (the same goes for my Discord story)
I'll probably post a chapter on each of these stories explaining the same thing after this, but for now, on with the show!
The Games Rich People Play
Chapter 7: Mix and Mingle
"So let me get this straight. Not only do we have to deal with Vlad, but also a Luthor-in-training that constantly combats three of the strongest heroes on earth, and a monkey man from the rogues gallery of one of the world's greatest super-spies?" Sam asked, taking all the info in.
"Yeah. That's… pretty much how it goes." Danny sighed.
"How are we supposed to fight three expert supervillains at once?"
"We can't. Especially not when our equipment wasn't as untraceable as we thought." He collapsed into a nearby chair. "I thought for sure I'd finally gotten this superhero thing down. Looks like life proved me wrong again."
Sam placed a hand on his shoulder. "Keep it together, Danny. Let's at least think about our next step."
Danny grasped her hand in return. "…Ok. Alright. So, we're sitting ducks out here. I'm pretty sure Vlad could have ratted us out the island's security, but he just wants to see us squirm. And even though Mr. Wayne mentioned how Vlad gave the island ghost fighting technology, it looks like they haven't fully implemented it yet. Otherwise they probably would've caught our "ghostly" radio signals the moment we turned on our equipment. It's best if we turned off our earpieces from here on out."
"Right." Sam turned hers off while thinking through their decisions. "So… with all that info in mind, where do we go from here?"
"Honestly? Not a clue. I guess if anything we should find a way to keep our heads down… the problem is, the only people we can stick around to do that are your parents."
Sam winced at the thought. "Not happening." She pondered some time to herself, and Danny did the same. Her parents weren't an option, but who the hell would hang out with two random kids and cover for them? …Wait… "Danny, I think I know someone who could help keep us inconspicuous."
"You do?"
"Yeah. The only problem is, I'm not sure how we'll find her. She could be anywhere in this mansion."
"Well, what does she look like?"
"Let's see… blond hair shaped into a long-haired beehive, purple dress with dark fluff outlining it, and purple gloves to match…"
Something caught Danny's eye, as he leaned to the side to get a better look. "Uh… is she hanging out in a large group over there?"
Sam turned her head in the same direction her boyfriend was looking. Sure enough, there she was, talking with multiple people. "Huh… yeah, that's her. That's… an odd coincidence."
"I'm starting to think nothing at this party is a coincidence." Danny stood up and straightened his suit. "So, who exactly is she?"
"She helped me out earlier. Some she-demons targeted me to feel good about themselves and she scared them off. She seemed oddly genuine about being nice."
"I don't suppose that has anything to do with how you were feeling when you called me, would it?"
"It would, actually. But yeah, if anyone here can help us keep a low cover on short notice, it'd be her."
He gestured towards the group with a smirk. "Well then, Ms. Manson. Would you like to introduce me to your new friend?"
Sam smiled back. "Of course. Follow me, Mr. Fenton."
As they drew closer, they could hear a few conversations being had.
"Huh. So you two were the ones who came up with that nickname."
"Oh yeah. Though Ben and I weren't sure if you really liked it."
"Nah, I meant what I said! You guys can call me Joey anytime!
Another one was being had between a man with strange hair and a guy with… fur?
"I must say, your hair is quite peculiar. Most humans I have met do not come close."
"Eh heh… To be honest, it's always been a mystery to me too."
Pacifica, who was having a conversation with a girl in a pink dress and a short boy, suddenly noticed the two young teens walking over. "Sam?"
"Hey," Sam said coolly.
The blonde girl walked over, smiling. "It is you! How has your night been?"
"Well, after you, nothing but prim and pricks. Was getting kind of bored of that, so I thought maybe seeing someone with human decency would be a nice change of pace."
"Heh. I'll bet." Pacifica suddenly took notice of the lanky boy standing next to the goth.
Sam noticed her glance and gestured to the boy. "Meet the boy who found himself becoming the boyfriend to this lady of dread."
Danny suddenly became nervous, being put on the spot. "Uh… hey. My name… my name's Danny."
Pacifica scrutinized him. "Hmm… seems like a dork." Danny raised an eyebrow, and Sam was about to balk. "That's good. I hear dorks make the best boyfriends." Both Danny and Sam glance at each other, speechless. "Come on, let me introduce you to everyone."
"I can see why you actually like her," Danny whispered to Sam.
Introductions were enlightening. It was surprising to see the type of prolific friends that Pacifica had made.
Danny was stunned to find the Ben Tennyson there. Seeing as how he was a fan of the everyhero, the ghost boy soon became starstruck. He was snapped out of it when he realized Billy Billions was also present. Danny quickly whispered to Sam to be wary of him.
Ben's girlfriend was a delight. She seemed like the most normal one here. At first, anyway. Sam could have sworn she saw something flashing in her eyes as they greeted. Like literally, as if someone turned on some green lights in her pupils. It was weird. Maybe it was just her imagination…
Rook had the pleasure of being the first alien Sam had ever met. He was very polite, talking of how he had never been to such a high-profile party before. Sam was quick to tell him that he wasn't missing much.
It was Sam's turn to be starstruck when she saw the duelists (though not to the extent of Ben and Julie, as she came to notice). Yugi was a legend, being able to quickly master any game that he got his hands on, never mind Duel Monsters. There were rumors that, even if he didn't know how a game was played, he could defeat a pro of that game in just the first few turns. That being said, she was a fan of Duel Monsters- to the point that she brought her collection with her as one of her entertainment options.
She was just as excited to meet Jonouchi. He did seem to have Tucker levels of ego, but considering how much of an underdog he was, she felt it was somewhat warranted. She always rooted for the underdog.
Honda was a pretty cool guy. …Sam wondered if any other people had such little to say about him. At least he seemed happy to be with friends.
Anzu was a no-nonsense type, much like herself. She automatically gained respect from Sam when she tamed a brawling Jonouchi and Honda with a glare. Though Sam knew for sure there was something going on between her and Yugi.
Seeing so many good people around, Sam started to feel as good as Pacifica. None of these people were vile manipulators or popularity obsessed fiends. Even though she and Danny just needed cover, Sam realized this week could turn out greater than she thought.
Pacifica seemed to be looking for someone, however. "They were here just a moment ago… oh! Mokuba!" The girl walked to a young man, around Sam and Danny's age. "Have you seen your brother?"
"Oh, he's just harassing the staff again. He's been trying to see Whimsley all night- oh, here he comes."
"Kaiba!"
Sam stopped in place. She knew that name. Among the list of the many companies she would picket and protest against, his company was a high one on the list. It was the only reason she never entered tournaments since his tech was in practically all of them.
The tall man exited from the crowd, clad in an outfit that would probably give Pauline a heart attack. Sam wasn't even into fashion, and even she wondered what the guy was thinking. And here was Pacifica, walking up to the guy like he wasn't one of the biggest douchebags on earth.
"Any luck?" Mokuba asked him.
"This staff is as incompetent as he is."
"Well, at least with a group like this, things won't get boring." Pacifica joked. Kaiba simply 'hmphed' in response. Pacifica suddenly remembered their latest arrival. "Oh, Sam, Danny! This is Mokuba and his brother-"
"Seto Kaiba. Owner of KaibaCorp. The company responsible for giving high-grade weapons to dictatorship governments and making the lives of people in several countries a living hell."
The entire group went silent. Had it not been for the people ignoring their existence around them, you could likely hear a pin drop. Kaiba's only response was to slightly turn his head to the girl. Pacifica, on the other hand, had gone from happy to frozen in fear.
"Whoa, guys…" Ben stepped forward, almost in between them. "Something… wrong?"
Mokuba stepped in front of his brother, looking very obviously offended by the words. "KaibaCorp has long ceased weapon productions and has given the UN schematics to all known weapons traded before then. We have held formal apologies to the countries affected by KaibaCorp's past actions."
"Oh yeah? Just wipe your hands clean of all the mess you made. Broke everything and the only response you could give was "I'm sorry I got everyone killed"."
Danny suddenly popped in. "HO-kay, let's just… put an ax on this conversation. Can I talk to you for a second?" Danny pulled her away from the group. "I need you to take it easy for a while, Sam. We're still trying to keep a low profile, never mind your parents' request."
"His company was responsible for thousands of deaths. I am not just going to let that slide."
"And I'm not saying you should!" Danny slumped his shoulders. "Look, on top of everything else, I think you made your new friend upset."
Sam's eyes widened and darted back to the group. Pacifica had gone from being relaxed to incredibly distressed. Sam cringed. It seemed the girl didn't know of her 'friend's' spotty record. Sam didn't mean to upset her by revealing that. Perhaps she had been a bit hasty in confronting the mogul.
Unfortunately for her, Kaiba hadn't taken much from the encounter with the random girl. He'd had his fair share of activists try to throw his father's militaristic actions back at him. All of their complainings fell dead at his door.
He was slightly surprised that Pacifica seemed so distraught by the encounter. The others were trying to console her.
"I… didn't mean to upset her like that."
Jonouchi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't sweat it, Paz. You didn't know."
"And you really couldn't have. KaibaCorp doesn't necessarily advertise that part of its history." Yugi confirmed.
Mokuba, despite defending KaibaCorp, nodded in confirmation. "Right. It isn't your fault. This isn't the first time we've had someone spit that in our faces. It won't be the last."
"If anything, she took her meeting with Kaiba for granted." Billy huffed. Pretty much anybody would give their firstborn to meet Kaiba.
"Yeah. First impressions aren't everything!" Anzu added on. "It's just the hundreds of impressions afterward that leave a mark." She quietly muttered aside to Jonouchi, who nodded. "Sam probably just needs some time to… get to know Kaiba." She strained the last part.
Pacifica smiled at Anzu, before smiling at Billy as well. Billy suddenly realized that his comment had been taken a different way, and positively at that. "Uh… yeah! Totally what I was getting at. They just need some time to hang out!" Ben and his group rolled their eyes.
Kaiba scoffed, catching everyone's attention. "Don't assume you hold responsibility for my actions or her ignorance. If she wants to spout nonsense to me, that's her problem."
"Dude, could you at least show some tact?" Ben chastised.
Kaiba ignored him. "And if you insist on believing you are responsible, then stop moping about this one interaction. Dwelling on one mistake so heavily is a fast way to lose control of the situation." With that, Kaiba walked away.
Ben started toward the same direction, only stopping when Julie tugged on his hand. "Ben…"
"I'm not going to change into an alien." He defended. "I just want to have a… stern talking with him, as my dad would put it." Julie seemed satisfied with this answer and let go of his hand.
Jonouchi scratched the back of his head as he watched Kaiba walk away. "Well, first impressions aren't everything… but they sure do mean something, I guess."
Yugi wasn't so sure. A few years ago, Kaiba would have simply ignored the girl's plight, or simply waved off the whole thing. But as harsh as his words were, the way he worded them felt as if he was relaying lessons to Pacifica.
Surely enough, he noticed the girl pondering on Kaiba's words.
It didn't take too long after Kaiba left for Sam to come back, taking a minute or two to calm down. Immediately, she went up to Pacifica. The others noticed her moving to interact with Pacifica and decided to give the two a little space.
"Hey." She opened.
"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- I wasn't…"
"It's fine. You seemed eager to introduce me, so I can tell you didn't do it on purpose. It's just who I am. I mean, Seto Kaiba's not even in the Top 10 list of people I want to yell at." She shuffled her foot in pause. "So… how did you come across Kaiba of all people?"
"He helped me out earlier tonight. Chased off some would-be Casanova."
"Ugh. I hate that." Well, she supposed that added some karma points to his record. A very small amount, but still. "Look, despite that, I just want you to be wary of that guy. Even after their supposed "overhaul", there's a lot of suspicious hush-hush I've researched on his company. Be careful of him."
Pacifica bit her lip. She didn't understand. The gut feeling Mabel told her about was with Sam… but she also had that same gut feeling with Kaiba. She didn't which instinct to follow, or who to believe. Ugh… should've asked Mabel how to handle these situations.
"Hey!"
Kaiba scowled. He was just being bothered by all the morons today…
"You know, I heard you had a rep of being an asshole, but I never quite knew how bad it was until I saw that." Ben pointed accusingly. "There are better ways of making your point come across. One of them is by being a little nicer."
"I said nothing but the truth. And I care little for being nice about it."
As expected, the teen was displeased with this answer and prattled on more. Kaiba knew it was pointless babble and his attention drifted elsewhere. He didn't think he'd find anything interesting, but anything was better than listening to this kid drone on. At least, not until something caught his eye.
"… and I know you keep up some reputation of some kind, but trust me, public notoriety isn't worth it-"
"As much I'd like to keep hearing you talk, I've got better things to do. Besides, your friend over there wants your attention." Kaiba walked away, caring little if the message was received or not.
"Wha-Hey! Come back! Man, my parents make this look a lot easier… wait, friend?" Ben confusedly looked around. He searched the crowd for a familiar face, but it didn't seem like there was anyone he knew. Just some rich folk, some butlers, Bruce Wayne, some rich kid weeping about some blonde girl with other girls fawning over him…
Wait, Bruce Wayne?
Ben winced, rotating his head back to Wayne. The man motioned to a room, and Ben reluctantly nodded. If Bruce was here, things were about to get complicated. His suddenly nervous stomach boded poorly too. "Uh, hey, butler guy…"
Back with the larger group, Pacifica racked her brain endlessly. Sam was a nice girl, and she seemed like she just wanted to help Pacifica. But even though Kaiba seemed harsh, there had to be some reason he went out of his way to help her out. She had to figure this out.
The situation didn't get much better once Kaiba got back. Sam shot another glare while Kaiba made it a point to ignore her, only responding to Julie when she asked Ben's whereabouts.
"Pacifica, dear?"
Pacifica's mood instantly went foul. "What do you want, dad."
The words were filled with an intense vitriol that caught everyone's attention. Preston had to stop himself from scoffing- aside from one or two individuals, the company Pacifica now kept was an ugly sight to behold. "Th…There you are, young lady."
"What do you want." Pacifica's new friends were becoming off-put by her sudden change in attitude.
"Fine. I'll cut the pleasantries. You're… frehhh… fraughh… you're…you're free to do what you want."
"…Huh?"
"You're free to do what you want, here at the party and afterward on the island."
Pacifica narrowed her eyes. "Why the sudden change in behavior?"
"Because I realize having you around my business associates could be disastrous. Just be happy I'm letting you off the leash."
"Whoa, whoa. The heck kinda words are those to say to your kid?" Jonouchi barked, getting riled up. Everyone else had also become taken aback by the words.
Preston cleared his throat. "So… there. Just keep yourself in check." He emphasized. "You have money for the island on your credit card, but it is budgeted."
Preston left it at that and walked away, uncaring of the glares from most of the group. Pacifica herself was a little shocked at the development. When her father wanted something, he clung to it stubbornly like a child. Yet here he was, 'allowing' her to roam free (as if she wasn't going to do that anyway). What could've gotten into him?
Wait… did Vlad really talk some sense into her father? Well, maybe not sense, but he clearly talked him into something. Her smile came back very quickly at this thought. Perhaps things were going to start looking up for the rest of the week.
"Hey Yugi, you alright there?" Pacifica turned her head, seeing Honda approach Anzu and Yugi. Yugi himself was clutching his forehead, swaying ever so slightly.
"It's fine. He's just… getting a headache from some strong-smelling drinks and food. He just needs some fresh air." Anzu assured as she supported him. For whatever reason, this had even caught Kaiba's attention, as he eyed the two suspiciously. "I'm going to to take him to get some fresh air, we'll be right back."
Pacifica was growing concerned too. She stepped closer to see if she could offer anything.
She froze.
Perhaps the others didn't see it, but through the slips of Yugi's fingers, Pacifica saw a glimpse of a terrifying image. A wide-open eye, that could stare into one's mind.
Pacifica's memories flashed by, reminding her of a creature she would never forget. Of events that would haunt her forever.
She shook herself out of her trance and looked again, wanting to make sure she saw what she saw. But the eye was gone, with no proof of it ever being there. Pacifica sighed and began breathing deeper, having only now realized it had become shallow. Luckily, everyone was so focused on Yugi that they didn't notice her episode. With any luck, they wouldn't need to know about it at all.
She hoped more than anything else that she was just seeing things.
"Gotta say, Bruce. I was not expecting you to be at this shindig." Ben opened a bottle and poured himself a drink. "Mostly since things tend to escalate when you're around."
"Shouldn't happen this time around. My goal is merely espionage, nothing more." He looked at the bottle Ben was holding. "Ginger Ale?"
"Uh… ate too many of those pigs-in-blankets. Now my stomach is feeling a little uneasy. This stuff tends to calm it down. Plus, it tastes pretty alright." He raised the bottle to Bruce. "Want some?"
"I am feeling parched. Haven't actually had a drink tonight. Can't let any of my senses be dulled." Ben threw the bottle to him, all the while giving an amused expression.
"Of course you don't. Let nothing hinder the Dark Knight." He chuckled. "So, did you need my help or something? Hate to say it, but I'm probably no help right now. Security's got a lock on my Omnitrix. They're gonna know when I transform. In fact, I got chewed out by security just a little bit ago for transforming without permission."
"Yes, I heard about the tiger-man that frightened a young teen." Ben scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "But no. I've got this mission well under control. Though I do need you for another assignment."
Ben took another sip of his drink. "Hmm? And what's that?"
"You know the young man out there, Danny Fenton?" Ben nodded, and Bruce continued. "And do you know about Amityville's resident hero, The Phantom?"
"Sure do. He does good work from what I hear. And he's pretty snarky. I'd think me and him would get alo-" Ben stopped, putting together the pieces Bruce had given him. "No way. That kid out there…?"
"Indeed." Ben kept a bewildered look on his face. "From what I can tell, he arrived at this party with his girlfriend as a cover, while he attempted to gain evidence against Vlad Masters."
"Vlad who now?"
"Masters. He's one of the four people that I'm investigating here. He's become business partners with Monty Fisk and Princess Morbucks." Bruce used his watch to project a small hologram. "He's the only one of the group who still has a secret identity. Much like Danny, he's become half-human and half-ghost but uses his powers to obtain money and status. Goes by the name Plasmius."
"Sounds like perfect archenemy material." Ben swiveled his drink around. "So, wait… he came here all on his own to spy on three professional villains?"
"Not necessarily. I bumped into him earlier and subtly relayed the reality of the situation to him. By the nervous looks he was giving, he seemed to be under the impression that Vlad's partners were paid henchmen at best."
Ben cringed. "Yikes. Rookie mistake… well, if you managed to ward him away from this case, he should be fine."
"Unfortunately, I couldn't relay to him that someone was taking care of it. It was a bit too strange to try and say inconspicuously. So, he's probably worrying about how he'll handle the situation from here on out."
"I see where this is going. You want me to let him know that someone upstairs is keeping an eye on Vlad and his little friends, and then just be someone he can trust until this week is over."
Bruce finished his drink. "I'd say you've accurately described the assignment. Though I'd ask that you keep his secret identity under wraps, even around Rook and Julie. You want him to trust you, so he'll feel comfortable. He can't do that if he thinks his secret is spreading like wildfire."
"Right. It's no issue. He's in a somewhat scary situation and needs a fellow superhero he can talk to."
Bruce's face became a bit sterner. "Besides, I was hoping the time with Danny would convince you that-"
"No. We've been over this, Bruce. I'm not leading the team you're building. I'm not even joining it." Ben's smile was long gone now.
"You have far more experience than any of the candidates we've scouted, Ben. You've faced numerous different threats, covering all the situations of the other heroes combined. Not to mention you've had plenty of leadership experience, what with all the numerous groups you've led against those threats."
"Just get Kim to lead those new superheroes and stop asking me about it. She has around the same level of experience as me." Ben was growing irritated.
"But she lacks leadership experience. That's something she admitted herself." Bruce sighed. "Ben, listen…many heroes face that moment where, despite how hard they try, they weren't able to stop someone from getting hurt… or worse. What happened to Julie-"
CRASH!
Bruce was cut off as Ben had thrown his glass against the wall. The look on his face told him he was furious that Bruce had brought it up.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO JULIE DIDN'T HAPPEN WHILE I WAS TRYING MY BEST, BRUCE! It happened while I was acting like a negligent, self-absorbed prick! It happened because I was a negligent, self-absorbed prick!" The remaining contents of Ben's drink slowly dripped down the wall. They stood there in silence for a few seconds, Bruce having not flinched at the outburst, while Ben was breathing a little heavier. Eventually, Ben's face softened into a look of sorrow. "What happened to Julie is enough to tell me that I have no business being the leader of anything, much less being any kind of influence on rookie heroes. I'm helping Danny because he needs it, but I'm not doing any more than that."
Bruce closed his eyes. "Alright. I won't bring it up anymore." Ben nodded, before checking on the mess he had made. "However…" Bruce started again, and Ben turned to face him. "…I do need to ask one more favor. The girl out there, Pacifica Northwest?"
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Is she a superhero too?"
"No. But her situation might be bleaker than Danny's. Her father, Preston Northwest, is the fourth suspect I'm investigating." Ben's eyes widened. "He's simply being used by Vlad and the others, likely as a fall man. After all, in most ways, he's nowhere near as bad as them. But in some ways, he could potentially be just as awful."
"…How so?" Ben asked, not liking the direction of this conversation.
"Nothing certain yet. But when I talked to her parents, their behavior raised many warning signs as to how they treat their daughter." Bruce set his cup down. "I want you to watch over her. See if you can find out any information as to how her parents may be treating her. Be someone she knows she can confide in."
"…Alright. I'll see what I can do." Ben turned to look at the smashed glass.
"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it." Bruce said. Ben, still feeling uncomfortable after the outburst, decided to leave it at that and exited the room. After he left, Bruce sighed. "It's times like this I wish I had Dinah's knowledge of therapy."
"Breathe, Yugi. I'm here." Anzu comforted the now lurched over Yugi, who seemed to be trembling in pain- so much that he had crumpled to his knees. He was also clutching his head and stomach. "Was it Pacifica's father? Is that what's setting "it" off?"
"N-n-no… I could f-f-feel his vile nature, but he… he was only part of what I could sense. Not enough to trigger "it"." He slowly turned his head to Anzu. "I'm- urrggh!- sorry, Anzu. I thought I could handle it. That… that it was only causing me uneasiness back… in the car."
She remembered Yugi going silent during her story. "You… you thought it was just because you were thinking about that creep? And what he tried to do?"
Yugi nodded. "But… the closer we got to the Mansion, the more it began to grow… the evil presences I feel here are large and overwhelming… sooner or later, they might set me off."
He slowly stood up, Anzu helping him back to his feet. "We need to leave. We don't have to tell Jonouchi and Honda about… "it". But they'll know that it's for an important reason. They trust us."
The king of games shook his head. "No… I need… I need to learn to control this. I can't just keep running away from all the things that trigger it."
"I know you can't, Yugi. But… you hate what happens when it emerges."
"I know. So, let's hope I can avoid the people giving off those evil energies and adjust to this "atmosphere" quick enough for it not to matter. If I can get it under control, I can at least use it to help, and not to hurt." Yugi let go of his stomach, the pain subsiding. "But if I can't, then… tell Jonouchi and Honda, so you all can stop me from doing anything I'll regret." Anzu nodded in response. All the while, Yugi removed his other hand from his forehead.
Had anyone else been there, they would have seen a bright golden eye shining from that spot, ready to peer deep into one's soul.
I don't know if that was worth the wait. Probably not, but I'll try my best to keep on it in the future so you guys don't have to wait a year for each chapter. Trust me, I'm tired of this too.
Some small things- I gave up on the party time table. To be honest, it might have been a crutch anyway.
Two- I do have a set plan. So far, I'll only let you know that the first night ends with the tenth chapter. The days following may vary in chapter length, depending on what I want to do in them.
Please know that I am not going to go down any character bashing route. I hate that trope anyway. It only interrupts a story for needless hate. Know that when any character is seemingly behaving in an unlikable moment, I'm building up to something with it. (although I suppose it's up to you guys whether I handle it well)
See you guys next time- hopefully sooner rather than later… again.