Hey everyone! Like promised, here's Chapter Two!

~Perspective: Pearl Hikari~

My eyes gleamed like beady studs, my mouth curled like a serpent's. Those were the signs of the grim satisfaction I received as I marveled at the unfolding spectacle.

Yami's brutality was staggering, so much to the extent my dark side was helpless, and her spell cards were merely swatted away by Yami's superior magic. I laughed at the scene, scorned the blood and fear Pearl DS had shed during the battle. She had delivered so much misery to me over the years, and now watching Yami obliterate her without even breaking a sweat gave me a sinister, dark joy.

I was only disappointed that my dark side was able to escape, thanks to Dark Rockman quickly grabbing her and teleporting away.

"Wow," I said bemusedly. "Wow...he not only beat my dark side, but did so to yours too, Rockman..."

"Nyeh, what did you expect?" Jounochi piped in, "This is Yugi's alter ego we're talking about."

"Good point, Jounochi-kun," Rockman agreed, "I guess now we can be peace as we don't have to worry about the dark sides..."

Merely verbalizing that statement irked destiny to contradict it, as before any of us could enjoy our relapse of peace, two new dark incarnates quickly made their presence known by warping into existence at our very eyes.

"You were saying?" Yami Bakura asked mockingly, in his clear-cut British accent.

Yami Marik joined in, stating, "And we want our REVENGE! Oh, yeah...anyone want a hug...?"

"Oh, Florence and Melvin...how pathetic," Melody mused, in her cryptic, confident voice. I felt a quick swish of hand motion, and the spell erupted into a bullet-fast spiral of amulets.

"Oh no you don't!" Yami Marik growled, "We've prepared for that, and-!"

"But not for this!" I intervened, my arms flailing with movements befitting a mime, my sudden spell leaping into play. Mist enveloped the field, spawning a glyph-clad panel underfoot, forcing the two yamis' down its non-existent depths and into a trap I had preordained for possible villainous gate crashers.

They'll never be able to escape where I've sent them,I triumphed. At least, not immediately. I mean. . .we all know the worst enemies of humanity are doors requiring an entry code. And this one has six digits! Heh, the look on Melvin's face. . .

The prospect of the spirits' reactions brought satisfied laughter to my voice, and I decided to switch on the security camera to see how Marik and Bakura were faring against my trap.

"Seriously?!" Yami Marik shrieked when he beheld the code-requiring door blocking his entry to freedom, "I don't even know any death words with six letters!"

"How about 'murder'?" Yami Bakura suggested.

Desperately, Yami Marik jabbed the necessary characters for the death word. The door refused to accept the code, released a disapproving beep, and announced that another password needed to be entered.

"That didn't work!" Melvin lamented.

In annoyance, Bakura muttered in disdain, "Oh, of all the bloody-"

That last word became the next attempt of Yami Marik's at the passcode, but of course, all he received in response was the door stating, "ACCESS DENIED".

Aggravated at the constant denials, Yami Marik attempted to blast the door down with Millennium Magic, ignorant of the fact that I had equipped my trap with a reflective spell. All attacks would be rebounded to the user, as I had set one rule for getting the past the door: passwords only.

Using magic would be activating your own personal Penalty.

Yami Marik discovered this the hard way, which wasn't a desirable route as he had attempted a multi-hit spell, its rebounding power forcing those present to consistently jump in evasion until the spell wore off.

At this point, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. The only regret I had was not installing a troll face into the door.

~Perspective: Melody Hakurei~

"Nice work," I said, "but he'll figure it out eventually…and when they do, I'll be ready. I couldn't help but smirk as I held a special amulet in my hand. During my travels, I had created special techniques to combat enemy threats, tools to aid the heroes. I wasn't called the Master Controller by one of my friends for nothing. The amulet had a red and blue border, the inside resembling a shattered mirror of black and white, with several key words written on it in Japanese. It didn't seem like much but that one slip of paper held the key to a power that had resulted from the fusion of two ancient types of magic. It was quite likely my greatest achievement. And yet it had formed from an accident.

Pearl then interrupted my thoughts. "Yeah, well...in the meantime, who wants to play a Children's Card Game?"

We all nodded in agreement. Hey, couldn't hurt, right?

During the games, Jounouchi decided to start a small conversation. "Nyeh, hey Pearl, what was the pass-word on those doors anyway?"

Pearl giggled. "Well, I decided to use reverse psychology…Melvin and Florence would have expected me to use a complex one, so I did something really simple and obvious."

"Which was?" Rockman inquired.

"BAKURA," she replied. "I wonder when they'll get so desperate they'll enter their own names as pass codes…?"

"Oh, it won't take long," I said. "The last time Melvin tried to unlock a password door he eventually got to it: 9999."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, but with words, result'll take longer…"

Time passed. There really wasn't much of a party anymore, it had mellowed down into a simple hangout, which I was totally fine with. Of course, that wasn't going to last much longer.

I was sitting in a stool drinking tea, legs crossed, when I glanced at the security camera just in time to hear Marik tell Bakura that he had managed to crack the door. After briefly telling him the password Marik then dragged Florence out of the room.

Alright, playtime was over. It looked like it was time to teach the buffoons what happens when you try to interfere with the main characters.

"Oh, they're here…" I said lightly in an emotionless voice. "I'll take care of it." I set my tea on the table and stood up.

"Hey there's no telling what Melvin and Florence are gonna do," Pearl piped up. "I'll help." Setting her half-eaten pizza, she added, "And if someone touches the pizza, I'll sue." With that, she ran off after me. However, the scene that greeted us in the next room was not what I was expecting. It soon got onto my nerves.

Marik was singing a line from a song he and Florence had done, "Literal Pants". To this day I still don't know how he managed to bribe Yami Bakura into doing it.

The Thief King quickly clamped his hands over his ears. "Seriously?!" he yelled. "Why do you always sing?!"

Marik wasn't alone, either. I then heard Yami singing in his strong, baritone voice. "But you're not gonna get my Pharaoh's Throne~" Better than Marik, I had to admit, but now wasn't really the best time…

"You too, Mou Hitori no Boku?!" Yugi said, slightly embarrassed.

"Hey, Yugi, you coming?" I asked him. I was pretty sure it would be a good idea to bring him along. "And Yami, shut up or your Aibou will make sure you do." Another thing I learned about Yami: He might be dark and a bit snarky, but if there was anyone who could put him in his place, it was Yugi.

"Y-yeah," the light side said in response to my question. "I want to see if I can help you and Pearl-san…"

Yami then pulled an epic pout face. He knew full well that couldn't say no. "…Fine. But-"

Jounouchi then blurted out lyrics from his trademark song. "Can't beat my, can't beat my, no one can beat my BROOKLYN RAGE!"

"I don't want to be a furry~" Netto sang along.

"N-netto-kun…" Rockman said, with the same expression Yugi wore just moments ago.

Enzan facepalmed. "Okay, since when did this become a sing-along?!"

"Don't ask," I replied. "Besides, if they don't stop I'll make them, courtesy of Millennium Meltdown." Just one of my many tactics to obliterate anyone in my way into ashes.

~Perspective: Pearl Hikari~

When I saw the threatening glint in Melody's eyes, my voice of reason took hold of me, and I advised, "Uh, why don't we save the Millennium Meltdown for Melvin and Florence? That would be more logical... right?"

Netto wasn't interested in helping out, and continued to the next song verse: "I gotta beat Rex and Weevile 'cuz they're evil!"

Jounochi supplied: "And I'm groovy with my Yugi~ ! I'm not baggin', I'm just hanging with my baby dragon!"

Enzan prevented them from reciting further lyrics with his loud, agitated voice outbursting with the request, "Melody, could you make them shut up NOW? Please?"

Melody's intense eyes softened, though the threat was still glinting in her irises. She pulled out another spell card, one decorated with blades and misty glyphs, the fancy designs that just made it look just as mysterious and cryptic as its bearer.

"Fine, I won't use Meltdown," Melody mused, "Instead. . ." Her spell card flickered with menacing light, ready to be triggered at a second's command, "I'll let them enjoy a flechette storm."

Despite how nervous I felt by the impending presence of a new spell, the sound of footsteps registered in my brain. "Oh, wait! I hear footsteps!" I blurted out, a smirk in league with Melody's surfacing on my face. My sudden shout beckoned a silence from the group, and Melody shot me an anxious expression, like, Is it them? Melvin and Florence?

Only one way to find out.The spell card I held out was velvet black with royal-red ridges, surrounded with scythe-like patterns and trickling crimson rivers that resembled flowing blood.

"Now I can try the new spell card I got," I said with dark confidence,"Pulse of Dissonance: Preordained Death!"

Scythes sprang to life from the card, forming a bladed, spiraling ring around the red bee-line rays that shot down the corridor, a painful rush of clanging steel and crumbling granite confirming impact. Melody glared at me with disgusted surprise, her eyes saying it all, You weren't kidding when you said "new", were you? That spell card isn't yours.

She was right, too. The pattern of scythes and blood were trademarks of my dark side, and anyone who knew of the two of us could easily tell that spell belonged to Pearl DS, not Pearl Hikari. But, in my defense, my dark side had dropped the card after Yami had defeated her; I was merely claiming the spoil of war. War,in its literal context, as Pearl DS and I had proclaimed war on each other ever since we became aware of our reflected side's existence. And hey, she's swiped spells from me as well.

"Yes! Got 'em!" I exclaimed, quickly stowing the stolen card in my pack, hoping to deviate attention away from it.

The angry, muffled voice that echoed down the corridor nearly made me drop the card altogether, as its volume wasn't only loud, but it belonged to a completely new party whose presence I knew would only make things more complicated.

"Okay! Who's the idiot who just tried to kill me?!" yelled Seto Kaiba.

Mokuba's squeaky voice followed, and he shouted, "Big brother, do you actually think they'll answer?"

Seto's response was what I was expecting: "Shut up, Mokuba!"

I gulped a nervous "O-ooops..." before I turned to look at a nonchalant Melody, whose perseverant neutral expression made me feel ashamed to have an awkward face.

"I won't say a thing," Melody said coldly.

"Yeah, easy for you to say," I muttered begrudgingly, like a pouting child. "The Kaiba fangirls aren't going to let that one slip. So, any idea where Melvin and Florence are? Or do you think my second set of password doors is holding them up?"

"Judging by what Kaiba said, they probably dodged it," Melody replied, voice still set in cryptic mode. Or was it always like that...? Anyways, she continued, "As for Melvin and Florence, by the time we get to the doors, they'll be open, I know it."

"Hmm...I guess that's logical," I agreed, trying to sound smarter than I felt. "Do we split up for now? Let's vote."

"Sure." Melody's eyes flared with the confident glint that was a threat on its own. Her tone matched the confidence, her tone said she was ready. "Both of us will get the pleasure of beating them up."

"Okay. Let's split ourselves up evenly," I said, withdrawing the entrance roster I had used for my party. I went through the list in reverse of arrivals, and quoted, "Group one: Melody, the Frizzy Blonde twins..."

"Hey!" protested Yugi.

"I resent that!" Yami shouted.

I ignored their outbursts and continued setting up the groups, resuming, "And Enzan." I folded and ruffled through the sheet, constituting our second faction with the remaining names, "Group two: me, Jounochi, the Hikari twins, and Blues. Clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Netto responded, though Jounochi, oblivious to the announcement, continued humming the lyrics of Brooklyn Rage.

Enzan, taking a clear note of Group Two's roster, shrugged his shoulders and muttered gratefully, "Well, at least I'm not with Netto."

"And I put you with Melody on purpose," I whispered back, awaiting the predictable response.

Enzan delivered results immediately; his face changed from its neutral color to brick red.

l laughed, though in spirit with the gravity of the mission, my hand deviated to the pocket which held Pearl DS's "Pulse of Dissonance" card. Something, like my inborn gut or sixth altered sense, told me that the card's original owner would return soon enough.

~Perspective: Melody Hakurei~

I could tell that another fight was brewing, so I hit the brakes. "Easy guys," I said, "you can get back at her later. Let's go."

Pearl then looked at me and pouted with the expression of a spoiled brat. "Mel. Uh. Dee. That was mean. And I will now pronounce your name like that for eternity."

Yeah, right. "Hey," I responded nonchalantly without a trace of reaction, "I'm just saying what they could do to you. You're the one who insulted them."

"…Good point. So, are we gonna split up or not? Last I checked we were looking for Melvin."

At this point it became obvious that Netto and Jounouchi still weren't paying attention to the situation; they were still singing the refrain of "Brooklyn Rage".

I wasn't the only one. "Netto-kun, Jounouchi-kun…" Rockman said, "It's starting to get annoying…"

Pearl shrugged. "Let them have their fun." She then whipped out a flashlight and walked down a branching path.

"H-hey, wait!" Netto called out in surprise.

"Don't leave us behind!" Jounouchi added. Both then hurried down the path the blonde's group had gone.

Once they were out of sight, I sighed. "At least that's taken care of…come on guys, let's go after Florence."

Round One was about to start. And things were going to get ugly.

~End Perspectives~

As always, thank you for reading! Chapter 3 will be up soon!