Hey there everyone! Well, as everyone can see, I've reverted back to my old schedule. Soon I'm going to begin posting three chapters a week, but not quite yet. I still have some things to finish up on this story. I'm nearly done with the ending for this story, but not quite. I have some work to do yet, but it's close. I'd say a few more weeks, hopefully. I know I said that a while back also, but truthfully, I believe I only have a bit more. So, in essence, please be patient with me, lol.

Last time, the duel ended with Illidan winning and classes beginning. Everyone's lovable cat, Pharaoh, appeared on the scene with Banner's spirit still in him. He made quite an entrance with Marie, who took him to Illidan. Illidan remembers Banner, but from where and when? And what will Illidan do about Banner's behavior, hehe?

Alright, let's do this! (/Cranks up review music.\) Review Time!

ardee: Glad they covered it, because, well, you was on your own if you sued me or Marie for it, hehe. Cool about HSM2. True, the food deck of Curry Mask was one of the more creative decks the GX writers made up. LOL! Yes, I would keep that suit of armor on and the guards. That should slow her down for like a minute altogether, more than enough time to duck and cover. Heh, she wouldn't take it as defiance, just as more things for her to hurt. Yeah, the spellcaster deck does work well for Illidan. Heh, a dragon deck would have been cool too, but eh, that would have been more challenging. Lol, thanks on the T rating. Yes, Banner has quite the interesting mind… Good luck on the HSM2.

Ultimate Legendary Master: Thank you. It was no prob posting 5 chapters last week. Yeah, it was one more than usual if the two weeks got combined. I had originally planned on posting 3 the week I was on vacation, but due to posting problems, it didn't happen. Heh, my weekend was decent. I saw my grandmother (father's side), and went and helped my dad out on the farm. It wasn't much of a weekend really. Thanks for asking though. How was yours?

Isis the Sphinx: LOL! Sorry if I hurt your feelings for turning Banner the way he is. I just changed him to add some action in for him.

x-knight20: Thanks. Yep, she found Banner, or Banner found her more like it, lol. True, true, I bet the students thought she was a bit drunk, hehe.

Well, that's it for me this morning. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. It explains a bit about things that happened after Yami left, plus it explains a few other things. I can't wait to see the reviews for this chapter. Enjoy everyone!

Chapter 18

Lightly chuckling, Illidan said "We met back ten years ago, when you were less fury of course."

Thinking back, Illidan began remembering what all had transpired those many years ago.

Yami had left the living realm only three or four months before. Even though the world was at peace, and the Shadow Games were no more, the Shadow Charms still needed hid, with the exception of one that Yami had taken with him.

Seto began construction on an academy that was being built for students to come learn how to duel. The school would be a high school for the most part, and would be only three years long. He named the school Duel Academy, where students would come to learn how to become great duelists, and to hopefully one day enter the newly created Pro Dueling League.

The remainder of the group from the ancient times had moved on with their lives, except for Illidan and Marie. They were busy trying to find places to hide the seven remaining Shadow Charms.

One day, they received a call from Pegasus, asking Illidan to come to visit him, alone. Illidan willingly agreed, though Marie worried about what could happen. He quickly calmed her fears, saying not to worry, that he could handle Pegasus on his own.

Soon enough, Illidan arrived at Industrial Illusions main office building and went to Pegasus's office. Upon entering, Illidan spotted another young man.

The young man had normal rectangular glasses, and long black hair that was mostly tied back in a pony tail. A bit of it hung in the front, but mostly a small amount. He had a less muscular build, but stood proud.

Seeing Illidan enter, Pegasus said "Greetings Illi-boy! I hope you had a good trip."

Seething in his mind at the annoying name, Illidan calmed himself and replied "Yes, I did."

Nodding, Pegasus pointed to the young man, saying "I'd like to introduce to you Professor Banner. Professor Banner, this is the young man I spoke of. This is Illidan Stormrage."

The two shook hands, with Banner smiling, saying "It is nice to finally meet you. I've heard a good deal about you from Mr. Pegasus."

"Thank you, and it's nice to meet you." Illidan replied kindly.

"Professor Banner here is an archeologist who does digs for us in search of more Egyptian Tombs. He has been looking for more monster carvings to help us in creating new cards to release." Pegasus added.

Illidan nodded, so Pegasus continued with "He made an amazing discovery two months ago in Egypt. He found a new tomb that hadn't been opened at all."

Taking his cue to speak on the subject, Banner said "When we discovered the tomb, we thought perhaps it was a burial tomb, but it wasn't. Instead, it was a tomb for storage. In it, we found four large stone carvings."

Raising an eyebrow, Illidan asked "Of what?"

"Three of the carvings depicted three powerful creatures. The last stone was blank though, which I found rather odd." Banner said.

Nodding, Illidan calmly asked "What were the three creatures?"

Sighing, Banner said "When we translated the texts, they were found to be called the Sacred Beasts. They were called Uria, Lord of Searing Flames; Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder; and finally Raviel, Lord of Phantasms."

Thinking for a moment, Illidan responded "I have never heard of those creatures."

Butting in, Pegasus said "That's what I said exactly when I got word of the discovery."

"Yes, I thought the same thing. Upon closer examination, I realized that they looked similar to the three Egyptian Gods. Their bodies were somewhat different, but they looked similar. It was strange to see the similarities, as well as the differences." Banner said.

Pondering these comments, Illidan slowly said "I guess that they could have been lesser Egyptian Gods maybe, but still, there would have been some record of that."

"That was what I said exactly, but I never found any record. I then translated the hieroglyphs on the wall in the tomb and soon found out that all records on them were destroyed. Plus…" Banner ended with some hesitation.

"Plus?" Illidan urged on.

Sighing heavily, Banner replied "There was a curse. Whoever disturbs the tomb is cursed to death. From what I understand, the curse should kill whoever it is that disturbed the tomb within a few years, if not less."

Calmly, Illidan stated "You're cursed then?"

Nodding, Banner softly replied "Yes, I was cursed. Still, I didn't let that stop me from creating prototype cards for the Sacred Beasts."

"You mean you created three cards for the Sacred Beasts?" Illidan asked, somewhat alarmed.

Straightening his glasses, Banner replied "Correct. I made a set of prototype cards for each. So far, they all work correctly, although we've quickly found out the cards are dangerous. Apparently, they drain energy from what Mr. Pegasus calls Duel Spirits, as well as humans."

"Great…" Illidan said as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Taking the moment to step in, Pegasus said "Mr. Banner, can you leave us for a while?"

Nodding, Banner said "Of course."

Bowing out, he left the room, leaving Illidan standing where he was with his eyes still closed. Pegasus crossed the room, looking out the window momentarily.

"I know what you're going to say, so you can save yourself the trouble my young friend." Pegasus was quick to say.

Opening his eyes, Illidan angrily spat out "Wasn't four unstoppable monsters enough for you already!? No, it wasn't, so you had three more creatures that are nearly unstoppable created as well!"

Sighing, Pegasus replied "I told you I knew that you were going to say that. You don't have to snap at me! I was as surprised as you that Banner had the cards created."

Slightly remorseful for snapping, Illidan took a deep breath and asked "You didn't know he created the cards?"

Shaking his head in a no fashion, Pegasus replied "I had no idea that Banner was going to make the cards. He had called me while I was away on business. The line was fuzzy, but I heard something about he made a discovery, and wished to proceed. I could barely hear him, so I thought he had just found some random weaker monsters. I used poor judgment, but as I said, I thought it was weak monsters."

Sighing deeply, Pegasus continued, saying "When I returned, I came to find out that Banner had created the cards, supposedly on my authorization. He had three prototypes already created, and we both found out immediately the destructive capabilities of the three Sacred Beasts. Unlike the Egyptian God Cards, whom rely on their own ancient power, these creatures feed off of the energy of Duel Spirits and humans."

Taking in all this information, Illidan calmly asked "They could end the world then?"

Nodding, Pegasus replied "They have the power to absorb all the energies from each and every card on Earth, along with all of the energy of duelists too."

Turning to look out the window himself, Illidan sighed deeply, and said "Cards like those are too dangerous to ever use."

"Correct. That's why I asked you here. I talked to Kaiba-boy, and he has agreed to place the cards in a secret location at Duel Academy. The only thing is he needs someone who knows what they're doing to seal the cards away in the location." Pegasus said calmly.

"Also, the two of us were discussing about what to do about the four Egyptian God Cards, and we figured we'd pitch an idea to you about placing them on the island as well."

Sighing deeply, Illidan replied "That would be a bit dangerous, wouldn't it? I mean, placing seven cards on the same island isn't a very good idea."

Lightly chuckling, Pegasus turned towards him, saying "That's why we wish for you to design some kind of seals for them. Me and Seto know you are the expert on sealing things."

Chuckling at the comment, Illidan replied "True, I've always had a knack for sealing things away so that they can't be tampered with. Still, it will take some time for me to work on seven seals…"

"Five seals." Pegasus cut in.

Looking at Pegasus, Illidan slowly asked "Why five? Each one should be separate!"

"True, but the Sacred Beast Cards aren't as dangerous. Their strength is far weaker than the Egyptian God Cards, so grouping the three together wouldn't be too bad." Pegasus added.

Sighing heavily once again, Illidan pinched the bridge of his nose. After a few moments of thinking, he said "I guess I could seal the three together, but I'll have to make some kind of seal. I have one in mind, but I'll have to work it out. As for the Egyptian God Cards, they'll have to be heavily sealed, and also be left under guard. I think I can leave some Duel Spirits up to that job."

Slightly confused, Pegasus asked "Duel Spirits? Why leave them in charge?"

"Because they are excellent guardians, not to mention they'll last forever, whereas a human will last for so long. I hate to use Duel Spirits that way, but it would be easier than placing a person there."

Finally nodding, Pegasus replied "Alright. How long do you think it will take you to devise the seals?"

Thinking for a moment, Illidan responded "Possibly a few weeks, if not at most a month."

Nodding, Pegasus said "Good. Seto wants to take care of things as quick as possible."

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Coming out of his thoughts, Illidan looked down at Pharaoh and asked "I take it this is what the curse was?"

Staring back at Illidan, Pharaoh said "Not entirely. You see, after that meeting, I began working on a way to break the curse, but found no way other than one. The only way the curse could be broken was if I possessed all three Sacred Beasts, plus the energy that was needed to wield them."

"Of course, there was a time restriction, so I knew there was no way I could gain control of the Sacred Beasts. Not to mention, you had taken the cards and sealed them away. So, I did the only thing I knew I could do in order to survive."

The voice took a deep breath, and finally said "Using alchemy, I created a homunculus body, in which I placed my spirit within. I then preserved my body, hoping one day to return to it."

"I was eventually approached by the school superintendent about breaking the curse. He told me if I joined his Shadow Riders, he could guarantee that the curse would be broken. Knowing the world would be in danger, I joined, hoping to find a student or someone strong enough to stop him."

"Eventually I did find one person who had the strength to stop the madness. Jaden Yuki had the strength and compassion to defeat the darkness. I dueled him myself, hoping to help push his skills beyond what they were. I was successful, and he proved he had what it takes to beat the leader of the Shadow Riders."

Taking a moment to pause, the voice then continued with "When I lost, I expected to die, but my cat, Pharaoh, had other plans. My homunculus body disintegrated at the end of our duel, along with my living body. Only my soul survived the process. I was fully prepared to journey into the afterlife, when Pharaoh made plans otherwise. Before I could cross over, he swallowed my soul."

"That explains things a little bit." Illidan said with a nod.

"Over time, I gained control of Pharaoh's body. I guess you could say we're sharing the same body and mind, although due to my intelligence, I have a bit more control over my actions."

"By the way, try a trick like earlier again and you'll be wishing for death!" snarled Marie.

Looking confused, Illidan asked "What trick?"

Seeing that Marie was about to spill it, Pharaoh turned to leave, but saw the door was shut. The only exit left was the window, but it was closed. Deciding to take his chances, he jumped down off the desk and scurried to find a hiding place. Luckily for him, Marie and Illidan were distracted with one another and didn't see him leave the table.

"That pervert tried to look up my skirt is what I'm talking about!" Marie yelled.

Turning to glare at Pharaoh, Illidan noticed that he was missing. His attention had been grabbed by Marie, so he had lost track of the cat. Noting the door was shut, as well as all other exits, Illidan began to scan the room. He easily found Pharaoh cowering under his desk.

Grabbing Pharaoh at the scruff of the neck, Illidan pulled him up in front of himself and with a restrained voice, Illidan said "You'd better behave. Try a trick like that again and you'll find yourself in hot water with me. Got that Banner?!"

A small nod came from Pharaoh, and Illidan placed him back on the desk. Sighing, Illidan calmly asked "Where are you staying currently?"

"Mostly wherever I can on the campus, but mostly around the Slifer Dorm. There the students that were here last year know my cat, so people feed me."

Sighing once more, knowing he was going to regret what he was about to say, Illidan said "You could stay with us if you want."

Marie looked at Illidan in shock, knowing what he had just said. "NO WAY IS PERVERT CAT STAYING WITH US!"

Taking her hand, he gently squeezed it, saying "Marie, calm down. Banner has been through a lot, and I think it's only fair to help him out. There isn't a way currently to get him a body, so we should be nice and try to help him out. I know if I was a cat, I'd want some help, as in food and a home."

With a defeated sigh, Marie nodded, mumbling "You can come live with us if you want."

Looking up though with a glare that could kill, Marie coldly added "But if try sneaking a peak at me, so help me, there will be a scavenger hunt to hunt down all the pieces of your body."

Gulping, Banner replied "Understood… And yes, I accept your generous offer. I shall be on my best behavior."

"Good." Marie simply stated with ice in her words.

Seeing that things were still a bit rough, Illidan calmly said "It's settled then. By the way Banner, there is a spare room in our home, so you can live in there."

"Thank you."

Closing the folder up that he had been reading through, Illidan asked "Are you done with your classes for the day Marie?"

She nodded in reply. "Good then. I am too, so let's go back to the house."

Picking Pharaoh up, Illidan headed for the door. He heard in a mere whisper coming from Banner "I wish Marie had carried me."