SC: Regardez, c'est un nouveau chapitre pour vous. (Look, it's a new chapter for you.) J'espère que vous l'aimerez. (I hope that you will like it.) J'aime parler français. (I like to speak French.) Retournons à l'histoire maintenant. (Let's return to the story now.)

Battle for Tsughut

After the great victory on the Central Way, the only enemy forces left are those of Kepulia in Tsughut. Realizing that he is at a disadvantage, he has fortified the defenses at the castle and holed up there. Yugi's forces are having difficulty breaking the defenses. Will they be able to take Tsughut and free the island?

Echoing footsteps sounded in the castle's main hall. A swift-footed messenger approached the throne, his cloak billowing behind. When he reached the throne and the man sitting atop it, the messenger knelt before him.

"Governor Kepulia, my lord," he said smoothly. "I bring news from the Central Way."

"Ah? Speak, dog," Kepulia answered, his voice sharp and bellowing. One could tell by looking that he lived in the lap of luxury: he was an overweight man whose forest and turquoise robes barely fit him. The expanse of the hall barely contained his enormous presence. With one pudgy hand he adjusted the three-pronged headdress he wore irritably.

"My lord, sir, Granus has been killed."

Like the cry of a wounded hippo, Kepulia exclaimed, "WHAT? My most powerful general? By whom?"

"The rebels, sir. They've taken a nasty toll on us. Many soldiers have been defeated or killed."

"And our supplies?"

"Taken or destroyed, sir," the messenger replied. "This province is the last one left unclaimed, and the capital, our last stronghold."

"Blast those rebels!" Kepulia hissed, spit coming from between his teeth. "They'll be coming here next. We can't let them take the capital. It would mean the downfall of the island!

"Send an order to all the nearby forts and castles: 'Fortify your positions. Acquire cannons, build barricades, and don't let leave a single man. Do anything necessary to destroy the rebels once and for all.'"

The messenger nodded. "Yes, sir, my lord. I shall deliver your message to the troops."

"Not a word of this to anyone with access to the mainland," Kepulia added quickly. "The Emperor will have my head if he hears of this."

"Yes." The messenger turned and walked toward the wide wooden doors that led out of the castle. In his mind, Kepulia's orders replayed. An almost spiteful thought bubbled up.

The Emperor will have your head, only if the rebels don't tear it off first.

The bittersweet emotions of Granus's defeat were not held long, for soon the resistance was faced with its most challenging mission yet: the liberation of Tsughut. The forces in the capital province alone were at least double those of the rest of the island put together. No doubt, too, that the man in charge had heard of their escapades and was prepared to fight them. Pressure weighed heavily on the resistance's shoulders.

"We have reached the final hurdle," said Shimon. "We face the last of the island's Imperial army."

Fizdis nodded. "I'd like to see Mom and Dad again," she said quietly. Her family lived in Tsughut under Kepulia's rule.

"How are we going to fight?" asked Tristan. "The Empire knows we're coming. They'll outnumber us for sure."

"There's only one way we can fight," said Yugi sternly. "Head-on. A fight with everything we have and have attained." He paced over to a map that Shimon had left unattended the ground. With firm eyes he stared at their part of the island. "We'll attack this castle atop the hill," he said. "It is the only true threat between us and Tsughut."

No one said anything otherwise.

The resistance moved under the full light of day. They knew no one from the Empire would bother them. All were kept walled up, defending castles. It would have been a nice change of pace, to enjoy the daylight, if such a critical battle wasn't looming before them. They stopped to rest in a wide grassy field. It was the last piece of land not smudged by the Empire's sooty hands. Shimon flew ahead, in order to contact his intelligence and see if they knew any of the details of the Empire's strategy. Everyone else lounged around for a moment before picking up where they left off in their travels.

Their journey was painfully quiet. Tristan kept shooting glances between the two others with him. Fizdis looked incredibly nervous and anxious at the same time, if that was possible. Though he didn't really know much about her, since he hadn't been with the resistance that long, she seemed to him to be very much what she looked: a young girl oblivious to the true pain and sacrifice of war. More things were sure to happen, a lot of them worse than what had happened the night before. Tristan hoped she would be able to handle them when they came.

Then his gaze came to Yugi. His friend had a look of intense concentration; his eyes were filled with such sharp thoughts that Tristan wouldn't be surprised if the next thing he looked at popped like a balloon. This was predictable of Yugi, to be so utterly silent and stern of countenance, and yet he still possessed an unpredictable streak to rival Joey's. That was one of the things that made the resistance leader so dangerous, at least in Tristan's opinion. Even though he was his friend and knew nothing would befall him if he asked, he was hesitant to pry into Yugi's train of thought. For now, the silence would continue to reign.

After an endless wave of bleary travel, the three met up with Shimon again. "Lord Yugi, sir," he said after climbing off his dragon, "I have just spoken with my intelligence."

"And? What do they know?"

"…Nothing. Not one detail of the Empire's strength or strategy has reached them."

So the resistance would be fighting blind. Not a thing that Yugi would want us to do, thought Tristan.

Yugi's nod was meaningless. "All we can do is press forward."

Atop its declarative hill, the castle leaned toward them with slate eyes. It was filled with soldiers, many of them marshals with monsters at their disposal. All in all, not good odds for the resistance, yet they had no other choice. They had to fight here, if only to go down fighting, to learn anything about the Empire's defenses. The four members of the resistance formed a meager line facing the castle. The plan was to summon the rest of their monsters when they got close enough, and find some way into the castle.

Other than that, the orders were simple: charge.

"Ready?" asked Yugi of the others. Their deafening silence knocked him between the shoulders. There was a never-ending moment of motionless worry before they surged forward as one. Seiyaryu and Kaiser Dragon took to the skies beside their land-bound companions. The castle stretched up into the sky as they neared. Only a few hundred yards separated them from the castle wall.

BOOM!

The ground behind them erupted like a geyser of earth. Smoke and dust billowed into the sky. Yugi jerked on Seiyaryu's reins instinctively and so forcibly that they almost could have flipped over backward. He whirled around and saw a smoldering crater several yards behind them. It was roughly the same size as Uraby.

BOOM!

Another rumbling sound shot across the sky. Split seconds later the earth burst again, this time closer, on their left. A hail of dirt and pebbles rained over them.

"They've got cannons!" Yugi yelled just before another telltale BOOM sounded. Uraby leapt forward to avoid the impact, and only narrowly succeeded. Fizdis raised her arms over her head to shield herself from the falling debris. "Tristan, Fizdis! Pull back! You two are more vulnerable!

"Shimon, get higher! We're harder to hit in the air!" He nodded and Kaiser Dragon flapped furiously to get up, Seiyaryu doing much the same. No sooner had they ascended than they were again under siege.

RA-CHAT! RA-CHAT!

A swarm of bullets bore down upon them, biting the air as they passed. Yugi's eyes snapped to the castle and saw the gleam of the enemy's artillery. What he had previously thought to be cannons turned out to be a line of Catapult Turtles firing purplish spheres of energy. On a tier above them stood a row of rocklike monsters bearing guns on their shoulders, Barrel Rocks. They had been responsible for the aerial assault.

RA-CHAT! RA-CHAT! Another barrage confronted them. Seiyaryu tucked in its wings and swooped lower to the ground, beneath the shots. Preparing to fly up again, it stalled at only a few feet's altitude.

BOOM!

The explosion blasted just beneath them. Heat and dirt and rock, stifling and blinding, was thrust upward upon them. A wayward piece of shrapnel hit Yugi in the face and left a gash below his right eye. He heard a roar of agony from Seiyaryu. The sensation of falling came upon them both, and when the smoke had cleared both were on the ground.

Yugi touched the wound on his cheek and drew a hissed breath. He looked to his dragon; "Seiyaryu–!" A layer of blood coated the feathers on its left wing. Its whole arm was bedecked with cuts and seeping trails of crimson liquid. Part of the cannon shot had struck his dragon directly, and flying debris had caused the rest of the damage.

"Yugi!" Tristan, atop Gazelle, dashed up beside him. "Are you okay?"

He ignored the inquiry. "We have to get out of here!" he hollered. "We can't stand up to them!"

Tristan hesitated for a moment, taken aback. "…Right. Get on – your dragon can't fly!" Yugi turned back to Seiyaryu to find Fizdis helping it get on Uraby's back. Tristan literally pulled Yugi up behind him. As soon as he was on Gazelle took off on the retreat. The resistance ran to get out of the cannons' range, to the plains were they had started. (1)

"Well, that could have gone better," Tristan said blatantly as they resettled among the warm glow of the meadow. Yugi wasted no time in leaping off and running over to where Uraby was standing, Seiyaryu still on his back. By now much of the blood on its feathers had dried but the wounds themselves still glistened.

"Seiyaryu…" The rose-colored dragon growled feebly. Yugi and Fizdis tried as best they could to keep the injury still as Uraby bowed and they slid him off. Yugi knelt beside his dragon. "Hey. Are you going to be okay?"

"He should be fine, after he has some Blue Medicine," said Shimon. "Traces of the wound may linger, but the pain should be lessened considerably."

Yugi nodded, and stroked his dragon's neck gently. "You hear that Seiyaryu? A Blue Medicine would make you better." Seiyaryu bent its neck and nipped at the gem around its neck. Feather traces of cerulean light danced upon the cuts on its arm. The wounds started to heal, although it would be several minutes before the process was complete. Yugi smiled at Seiyaryu and stood up.

"Oh, Yugi!" Fizdis cried suddenly. "You're hurt too!"

He stared at her, only now remembering the cut on his cheek and the thin trail of blood it had left trailing down to his chin. "I'm fine!" he said, quickly turning his head away as she tried to get a better look at it. However, it was now in full view to Tristan.

"Ouch. Yugi, that looks like it hurts," Tristan said, eyeing the purplish maroon of the cut.

"It doesn't," he countered. This wasn't entirely true; a great deal of dirt had gotten into it during the explosion, and every few moments the cut would bite into him with a throb. Yugi could ignore it for now. "Besides, we have more important things to deal with right now."

"Yes," agreed Shimon. "We need to find a way to break through the Empire's outstanding military organization. Finding a weakness to the castle should be our main priority."

Putting his hands behind his back, Yugi began customarily pacing. "It's very well defended," he said like he was thinking aloud. "Almost overwhelmingly so."

"Yeah," said Tristan with a nod. "Unless we do something, we're just going to continue to sustain damage. There's got to be something else we can try."

"But Shimon's intelligence didn't know anything!" said Fizdis worriedly. "How are we supposed to find out what they didn't?"

"Maybe they didn't look in the right places," Yugi said suddenly. "I have an idea. I'll visit one of the surrounding villages and towns and see what I can find out there. Maybe, by living here for so long, the people will have picked up on something."

"Lord Yugi, if you are to do this, you should be careful. There are those who still support the Empire, and would turn you in if they found you," Shimon reminded him.

Yugi flashed a smirk. "Then I'll just have to not be found."

Less than an hour later, Yugi entered the small town of Ithuvak a few miles away from the hilltop castle they were trying to capture. He had had Shimon fly him there on Kaiser Dragon, and then told him to go back to the others. Seiyaryu's gem was tucked safely into his pocket, along with those of his other monsters and the purple one that was his. Shimon had told him that only marshals had such things, so it behooved Yugi to hide them, at least for now.

Taking in one last breath, he stepped into the main part of the town. He had thrown a plain, brown, cloak-like piece of fabric around himself, so as to hide his normal clothes. Tristan had been the one to think up that one: they both doubted that people saw school uniforms and leather often around here. As he walked he realized that he had forgotten to remove the collar from around his neck and the gold and silver bands at his wrists. He was afraid that someone might see them, but was even more worried about taking them off now, as it would only draw attention to them. Then there was the one, unavoidable, telltale thing that made Yugi stand out the most. He had been unable to find a way to hide his wild hair. He sincerely hoped that word of his appearance had not gotten around. Otherwise, people would be recognizing him right and left.

The town itself was something one typically read about in history books. Since this was the main street, in the heart of the town, many traders and merchants had set up shop here beneath awnings of colorful fabric. The ground beneath Yugi's feet had a thin layer of hay over it, and small animals were constantly running about, being chased by children. All around him people shouted for others to come and view the wonderful things they had to sell and trade.

Yugi came upon what appeared to be a makeshift stage, set back in an alleyway away from most of the hustle and bustle. There was a sun-worn piece of parchment nailed to the front of it:

"Seek the answers from the traveled man. Daily excursions bring back news from the capital and other places."

People were standing in front of the stage expectantly. Perhaps I can learn something from this person, thought Yugi. It looks like he's about to go on.

Not a moment later, one of the spectators shouted a name. A man in a white tunic and dusty brown vest clambered up onto the structure. He paused for a moment as those in the audience shuffled closer, and more people who had been doing some last minute trading scrambled in from the street. Yugi let them all pass and hung around the back of the group near the wall, so that he wouldn't be seen. The group became silent, as the man looked ready to speak.

"My people," he said, his voice strong and stroked with the sound of wisdom of many years. "I, like on every day, bring you the details of our island. Ignorance is ever more deadly in these tumultuous times."

"Tumultuous because of those rebels!" barked an older man. Yugi's eyes widened and he shrank a little bit within the folds of his cloak. "They are the cause of these new restrictions Lord Kepulia has inflicted upon us!" Several people around him murmured incoherent things, not really agreeing or disagreeing with him.

The man on stage turned his wary eyes to him. "I see you have an opinion of these – of the resistance. Kindly, share it with us. It is important for us to understand all views."

The man spat arrogantly. "These rebels, they think they're doing what's good for us… and yet they're just restricting us further! Every time they come into contact with the Empire, things get worse: a higher grain tax, taking our livestock for use in the Imperial Army!

"And who says they're what's best? What if they defeat the Empire, only to bring upon us a dynasty as vile as the first?" This time there were affirmative nods about the group, though others voiced their disagreement simultaneously.

"The rebels are fighting for us!" one cried.

Another, "The restrictions upon us are worth it for a change in this pathetic existence!"

The man on stage raised his hands to quiet them down. "Please! I know feelings about the resistance are mixed, but let me deliver the news I heard from the capital. The resistance has recently won a major battle on the Central Way. They defeated the soldiers stationed there, and killed Granus."

"Killed Granus?" the barking man repeated. "Such a rash move; only those with a lust for power would do such!"

"Without Granus, the Empire is weaker," the stage man said innocently.

"The resistance may even defeat Kepulia!" a supporter said.

The barking man glared daggers at him. "Do not think so naïvely of them. They won't win. They can't reach the capital, and I know if I ever see the leader of that damn bunch of dogs, I'll wring his neck myself."

At this point Yugi decided it best to leave the conversation. Touching a hand to his throat, he wondered what he could do next. He had hoped to learn something from the man on stage, but that had proved to be unlucky. Though he had believed Shimon that there were those who didn't like the resistance, and knew that the law of averages meant that at least somebody wouldn't, he had realized there were people like the barking man around that absolutely hated them. Now that he knew that, he knew that he couldn't just go up to people and ask them for information, for fear of triggering a rage-filled outburst like the barking man's or stirring up suspicion as to his identity.

He sighed loudly. There had to be something he could do; he just needed to think of it…

"Oof!" In his thoughts, Yugi had accidentally bumped into something shining white.

"Sorry," Yugi said reflexively, not looking at what he had bumped into.

"It's okay," the person replied. Yugi heard a bit of a British accent lingering over the person's words. He shrugged it off as one of the game programmers' idea of a joke. In a few seconds he felt a hand land suddenly on his shoulder and turned back.

He saw deep brown eyes; swirling like the surface of the ocean and churning like its darker depths beneath. "Yugi!" the person said. "It's you, Yugi, isn't it?"

Yugi almost couldn't believe it, and felt his mouth fall open. "Ryou! You're okay!" Ryou nodded, his blinding white hair swaying with the movement.

"Barely," he said, a bit of weary worry flickering in his eyes despite the smile on his face. "Where is everyone else?"

"Tristan's already here, but I don't know where the others are."

The churning brown bubbled up closer to the surface. "I see." Slowly it submerged itself. "Well, I'm glad that we found each other. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for…" Yugi lowered his voice. "…Information. I'm trying to find a way past the defenses at the castle guarding Tsughut."

Ryou nodded again. "I've been here for a while, doing the same thing. Have you found anything?"

"Other than the fact that the people hate us, no," he replied dryly.

"Hmm… You're attacking the provincial capital of Tsughut, right? I think I can help you out."

"What?" Yugi exclaimed. In his shock his voice had grown louder and attracted the attention of a few passersby. He reclaimed control of his voice and asked, "How so?"

"I've been snooping around that castle you talked about, and I think I've found something." Ryou glanced around for security before continuing. "You can't march an army through it, but there is a hole in Tsughut's defenses.

"Leave it to me! I'll confuse the guards and destroy their defensive equipment. If you can just hang in there for one more day, you will see a fire in the castle. That means the cannons are out of action, giving you the chance you need to storm the castle!"

The level of confidence in Ryou's voice stunned Yugi, like he had planned out the whole thing and was only waiting for Yugi to arrive and tie everything up. Ryou smiled his warm smile, and turned away. "I'll get on it right away!" he said brightly. "See you in Tsughut!" He dashed away from Yugi and into the crowd of people.

"Ryou! Wait!" Yugi called out, but his snowy hair had already melded in with the sea of brown and sand. Still slightly shocked, the only thing Yugi could do now is go back and tell the others what he had discovered. He made his way to the edge of town and walked a ways beyond on foot. There he summoned Seiyaryu and flew to the fields.

"Find anything?" Tristan asked when he returned.

"No and yes. Nothing on the enemy's defenses."

"Then what was the 'yes?'"

"I found Ryou," Yugi replied.

"Ryou? Our Ryou?" Tristan repeated.

"Yes."

Tristan brandished his fist in mock anger. "Then why didn't you bring him back with you?"

Yugi sighed heavily. "Ryou said he knew of a weakness at the castle, and was going to infiltrate it and destroy the artillery. I tried to stop him, but he was gone before I could."

At this, Tristan did a double take. "Wait a minute; Ryou was going to do all that? How? He's… well… Ryou."

"I don't know. All we can do is trust him. I hope he's all right."

"Who is Ryou?" asked Fizdis anxiously, having been unwilling to disrupt the prior conversation.

Yugi turned to her. "He is… a friend of mine. Of ours," he corrected, motioning between himself and Tristan.

"How is it you know so many people?" she asked, her voice misted with the light scent of hurt jealousy.

There are more you don't know about, thought Yugi. "I don't know; it must be the hair," he teased. "It's like a lightning rod for people." She laughed a bit and seemed to be happier after that.

Shimon stepped forward a bit, drawing their attention to him. "Are we to trust this – this 'Ryou?'" He shook his head a bit. "Such a strange name."

"Yes. I know for certain that Ryou is trustworthy," Yugi told him.

"Me too," added Tristan. "He's a good guy. Certainly a lot more reliable than Joey."

"Who?" asked Fizdis.

Tristan paled a bit. "No one," he said quickly.

"Anyway, we should move out," said Yugi. "We need to be near the castle when Ryou does his thing. That way we can make the most of the confusion he causes." Seiyaryu stepped up beside him and he automatically reached out to stroke its neck.

"How long do we have, Lord Yugi?" asked Shimon.

"He said it'd be about a day."

Tristan grinned. "A campout? I love campouts. Who's in charge of bringing the marshmallows?"

"I don't know. It's been so long since I've seen one; Joey usually absorbs them through his skin before I can get a good look at him," Yugi joked. Both boys laughed, leaving Fizdis and Shimon to stare confusedly between the two.

Night. The mysterious, winged wind rippled the grass and silver hair. Ryou crept forward, following the trail he had planned out: the exact blades of grass to hide in, the slight dip in the hill face to pause in, the extended arm of the night that led him to his destination. Soon he leaned against the cold stone wall. His fingers felt around each stone that they could find, slowly feeling, searching for the right spot.

There was a slight give, undetectable to everyone but those who predicted it, expected it. A single pale finger wriggled into the gap that formed. The gap eased open and allowed his whole hand to enter. Soon the entire stone recognized his expert touch and moved for him, sliding back into the castle. No one saw the silver-haired stranger enter.

The air inside was cold, but not free. Musty scents hung stagnantly in the air. The hall was quiet, and pitch-dark except for the small amount of moonlight shining in from the hole. Ryou replaced the moved rock and stifled the light, yet left it loose enough to be removed when his job was done. No one would notice it.

The darkness veiled his highly visible hair and left only his eyes to be pricked by points of light. Occasionally he would pass beneath a lone torch, smoldering in its bracket on the wall. This was rare. For the most part, the castle was quiet.

He found stairs and began to climb. Soon he was on the roof, overlooking the lands below the hill. Here was where all the movement was: soldiers pacing back and forth, hiding their yawns, and all in all keeping a good watch in case the rebels tried anything sneaky. Little did they know that one of them was already here. Ryou's steely gaze moved to the Catapult Turtles and Barrel Rocks, his real targets. Many of them were absent, having been returned to their gems for the night. Only a few remained to stand guard against the rebels.

Ryou swayed carefully through the shadows. He moved just below the artillery level. He came across two soldiers sitting in chairs and talking to the flickering light of a candle. One of them held a bottle in his hand.

"I still don't see – hic! – why we need ta' be – hic! – up here," the soldier with the bottle said in a wavering voice. Ryou could practically smell the alcohol on his breath from where he stood several feet away. "Ta' rebla's ain't gonna' try nothin' ta-night – hic!"

The other soldier with him sounded extremely annoyed. "We must be here. We are not to underestimate this threat. Already we have done so, and look where it has gotten us so far. No, we cannot take any chances. And give me that!" He seized the bottle from the other soldier's hand and set it down roughly beneath his chair. "You know you're not allowed it on duty."

Ryou saw something else glitter from beneath the chair. There was a small chest, like a jewelry box, with a shining bronze lock on it. The lock was unhinged. Ryou shifted a bit closer, trying to determine what could be inside of it.

"Ya' wouldn't – hic! – tell on me, would ya'… Hey!" Ryou froze instantly. The drunken soldier had seen him. "What ya' doin' here?"

The other solder turned around, and saw Ryou standing there. He stared hard for a moment, then relaxed a bit. "Calm down. It's just one of the servants they have running around here for the higher officers." He looked at Ryou sternly. "What'cha doing up here, boy?"

"I-I… I was sent to see how the both of you were doing," Ryou lied quickly, "and to see if you needed anything. Do you want me to do anything for you?"

"Yeh – more rum!" said the drunken soldier happily, and quite loudly too.

"No, I'm this close to turning you in already… I have something for you to do." The other soldier reached beneath his chair and pulled up the bottle. "Take that and get rid of it. Don't let anyone see you with it either, or I'll be in trouble for not reporting it."

Ryou nodded quickly and reached for the bottle. The box on the floor screamed loudly at him. He needed to know what was inside… In a flash of motion too subtle to be seen, he let the bottle slip through his fingers just as the soldier let go.

CLINK! It fell to the ground and rolled just beneath the chair.

"Stupid boy!" spat the soldier. "You could have broken that! Then it'd be you cutting your hand cleaning it up!"

"S-Sorry," Ryou murmured. He knelt down and slowly picked up the bottle. His fingers brushed the edge of the box.

"What's taking so long? Move faster, boy!" the soldier huffed.

Ryou stood up and gave a slight bow. "I'm sorry; I'm awfully tired… I'll let you be." He bowed again and turned away, vanishing quickly into the shadows.

Once he was a good distance away and tucked safely in a crook of the castle, Ryou opened the box and peered inside. At least a dozen monster gems gleamed back at him with the silver kiss of moonlight. There were only two colors: a tan-like brown and a slate green, several of each. It didn't take a genius to figure out that these were the remaining Catapult Turtles and Barrel Rocks of the Imperial Army.

Closing the lid and slipping the box under his sweater, Ryou curled up a bit to get some sleep. No one would find him in his hiding place atop the castle, even with the come of dawn. (2)

Ryou stirred with the mists that came just before dawn. He blinked bleary eyes and looked around, remembering the events of last night. The box was cold against his chest. He fingered it a bit before glancing at the rest of the castle around him. He couldn't see any guards at the moment, which meant that even the ones assigned to the night shift had turned in. Yet Ryou couldn't do anything just yet… he needed to wait until the sun had risen at least, and give Yugi time to get in place.

About an hour later the sun had risen completely. Every thirty minutes or so Ryou would see a soldier walk by. He was both relieved and worried: relieved, in that they hadn't noticed most of their cannons were missing, and worried because it was only a matter of time before they did.

The sun climbed higher. By now, everyone in the castle should have been awake. He saw more and more soldiers walking by. Ryou was stiff from not moving for so long but he had to hold out a little longer, just to be sure…

He heard a few voices shouting. One was angry, and the other was defending himself. They must have realized the gems were missing.

Now was the time. Ryou opened the box and pulled out a green jewel. He summoned the monster within in a flash. The Catapult Turtle blinked at him sleepily, unsure of what to do next.

"Easy now," said Ryou. "I just need you to do me a favor…" He pushed on the metal launcher attached to the monster's back. He moved it until it was locked onto one of the Barrel Rocks positioned on the roof. "Okay now, I need you to fire."

The Catapult Turtle blinked again, confused. Why destroy own equipment? Suddenly a lick of ebony came from the boy's touch. Sure, will fire for boy, if he wishes it. Purple energy melded into a lump on the launcher, steadily growing bigger. With a loud click of pressure being released the energy was fired at the Barrel Rock.

BOOM!

A chunk of the castle exploded with the monster, shaking the structure all the way down to its foundations. The Imperial soldiers were stunned, but Ryou was already moving the Turtle to a new target.

"Fire," he whispered to it, and another warm ping of ebony told the Turtle that it was all right.

BOOM!

The castle shook again, harder, as another Barrel Rock was blown away. That time the soldiers had seen the shot, and where it had come from.

"We're being fired upon by our own cannons!" one of them cried.

"Not for long," muttered Ryou, as he aimed his cannon at the rest of the Catapult Turtles lined up along the roof. "Fire." Another blast of purple energy shot forward with an earsplitting noise.

BOOM!

The blast hit the first Turtle, breaking off its launcher and a large part of its shell. It went through to the next Turtle, hitting it dead center. Unfortunately for it, it exploded, and the metal components within it burst into flame. The fire flared up into the sky, black smoke crowning its peak.

"That should do it. Yugi could see that a mile away." Ryou patted the Catapult Turtle's head. "Good job." The Turtle grinned inwardly and returned to its gem. Ryou scooped it up, placed it back into the box, and ran for the stairs.

BOOM!

The sound made everyone jump. Yugi looked to the castle and saw a mass of flames atop it. Soldiers ran and shouted around it in an attempt to get it controlled. "Nice work, Ryou," said Yugi with a bit of a smirk.

"This is our best shot!" cried Shimon. "Advance on the castle now!" Kaiser Dragon rose into the air and flew towards the castle.

"Let's go, Seiyaryu!" The rose-colored dragon roared in compliance and flapped up. They zoomed quickly to the castle.

The soldiers had gotten most of the flames to die off, as the stones of the castle roof weren't flammable. There were only smoking pieces of metal, remnants of the monster, when Yugi and Shimon suddenly appeared through the smoke.

"Surprise, surprise!" called Yugi as Seiyaryu launched a fireball at the nearest soldier. He screamed in agony and fell to the ground, writhing. With a hiss Kaiser Dragon seized another in its over-long arms and bit down, hard. Blood splashed everywhere and sizzled when it touched the hot pieces of metal.

Inside the castle, on the main floor, soldiers were running around everywhere. "What is the meaning of this?" an officer yelled above the ruckus. "What were those cannon shots? Who's firing on us?"

"Sir! An unknown force has destroyed the cannons we left stationed on the roof last night!"

"Where are the others?"

"They're missing, sir!"

The officer looked around wildly. "Certainly it couldn't be the work of those–"

THUD.

"What the…?"

THUD. THUD. THU-CRACK!

Just then the front door of the castle snapped at its hinges and fell in. The sunlight from outside shone in past the outlines of three dinosaurs.

"Wake up, everyone! It's time for your friendly neighborhood band of rebels to kick your Imperial asses!" Tristan stepped through the door. Gazelle and Blackland Fire Dragon stood behind him, fangs bared menacingly. Blackland Fire Dragon even had tendrils of smoke coming out of its nose.

"Charge, Uraby!" cried Fizdis, pointing into the mass of soldiers, now paralyzed at the shock of their entrance. Uraby roared and leapt forward onto one of the stationary soldiers. Curved claws dug into his body, twisted themselves around, and pulled apart, effectively ripping the man open. With a swipe of his tail Uraby flung his mangled body away. (3)

The Imperial soldiers were terrified. "Fight back!Destroy the rebels!" yelled the officer, and yet most of his men weren't even marshals. They had nothing to fight back with but their bare fists.

Which, by the way, Tristan was making good use of.

"Take that!" he declared, landing a hefty punch to a soldier's stomach. The soldier wheezed and fell over. Gazelle pounced upon him not a moment later, and finished him off.

Megazowler took out two in a row by simply charging through them. Crimson liquid sprayed onto its horns and crest. After the charge the dinosaur had to stop, as some of the blood was dripping into its eyes. One soldier had obtained a sword from somewhere and was sneaking up on it.

"RASHOAR!" Three blasts of flame converged upon the foul-playing soldier. A gale of fire consumed him and he fell. Megazowler turned around and eyed the corpse blankly for a moment, then looked at the sword laying a few feet away. He looked up and saw both King Rex and Blackland Fire Dragon, each with smoke filtering past their teeth. The two fire-breathers looked at each other, then grinned fanged grins. They split up again to finish destroying the Imperial soldiers.

Between the fire and blood that kept bursting forth all over the entryway, most of the men were already dead. The officer was still alive though, and summoned a monster. "Slot Machine! Fire your Plasma Laser Cannon!" The giant mechanical monster took a step forward as light particles began collecting within the cannon on its arm.

"I don't think so!" came a voice from behind. There was a loud squawking noise followed by a rush of flame. The fire hit the end of the cannon and melted it shut. Already a lot of power had built up inside, and with nowhere to go the arm simply exploded, taking a chunk of the Slot Machine with it. The officer whirled around to see who had launched the attack and came face to face with an evil, yellow grin. The point of a scythe hovered only inches from his nose.

"Hyi, hyi, hyi…" the thing laughed, and the scythe plunged through.

"Tristan!" Seiyaryu and Yugi swooped in through the open door. "How goes the fight down here? Are you all right?"

King Rex bit into the last remaining man and pulled in opposite directions with its heads. His skin tore deeply and his life ceased to be. "Yeah," answered Tristan. "I think we got them all."

Shimon flew in through the door. "I have searched the castle, and did not see signs of any other people."

"So have we taken the castle?" asked Tristan.

"Yes." Everyone turned to find a boy with fragile white hair standing in the middle of the carnage. He looked horribly out of place, like an angel that had dropped by for a visit to Hades. Behind him was a Parrot Dragon, its head feathers fluffed up like a cockatoo's. Floating over to the side was a Bickuribox. The scythe in its hands dripped with blood.

"Ryou!" Tristan and Yugi said at the same time, and ran over to him.

"That was awesome!" Tristan said, and slapped a hand on his shoulder.

Ryou sweatdropped. "Thanks – I think." He turned his deep eyes to Yugi. "I should have known you wouldn't need my help, Yugi," he said.

"Nonsense," Yugi countered. "If you hadn't confused the enemy first, our attack wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Thanks."

"Well, good. I'm glad I was able to help a bit." Ryou looked around at all who were standing. "I'd like to stay with you from here on out. Is that okay with you?" he asked tentatively.

"Sure! We're happy to have you!" Yugi grinned at him, and Ryou beamed.

"Wait a minute," Tristan said suddenly. "Where's Fizdis?"

"O-over here," a meek voice said. Yugi turned and saw her sitting half-hidden behind a stone column. Her knees were drawn up and she had hidden her face within them. "Is it over…?" she asked quietly, like she had to restrain the urge to cry or get up and run.

"The fight? Yes," answered Yugi. He walked over to her. "Fizdis, are you okay?"

"It's just… yes, but I didn't like that…" She looked up at him, and he saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "I thought I could be brave like you, but then all the killing… I'm sorry I'm so weak."

"Fizdis… You're not weak. I think you were very brave, coming here. There are those who would not risk it to come at all. For that, you are brave."

She sniffed up some of her tears. "Yugi…" She stood up and smoothed her skirt embarrassedly. Suddenly she leaned forward and hugged him. "Thank you, Yugi…"

Yugi blinked a few times in surprise. "S-Sure."

"Hey now, I hate to break that up over there, but we should head for Tsughut pretty soon," said Tristan loudly. "We don't want Kepulia to get away."

Fizdis let go and Yugi stepped back. "You're right, Tristan. Let's get going."

The resistance wasted no time in getting to Tsughut. They approached the shining building of the capital. They literally barged in, and their arrival stirred much commotion among the commoners that witnessed their entry.

"The rebels are here! They've come for Kepulia!"

"Let's wish them good fortune in capturing him!"

The few guards left in the government building that hadn't been shipped to defensive positions fell easily at the hands of Gazelle's claws and Bickuribox's scythe. Soon they reached the throne room, where Kepulia sat like he was stuck in his chair.

"Good morning, Governor Kepulia," said Yugi in a voice that promised harsh things. He walked swiftly towards the man he was addressing. "I'm glad you're enjoying your luxury while your people suffer."

Kepulia paled and squirmed in his seat. "Traitors! You won't take me alone, you treasonous dogs!"

"Oh? I think you're coming very much alone. You're the only one left of your entourage." Yugi flashed a smirk, and the light made his canines look like fangs. "I wonder what your subjects have to say on that matter." He turned back over his shoulder. "Let them in!"

"Gotcha!" Tristan and Ryou pulled hard and opened the door. On the other side stood Fizdis and Shimon, and behind them, a mob of citizens brandishing canes and stones alike. (4)

"Do as you will with him," said Yugi simply. The resistance left after that. They didn't know what fate befell Kepulia.

"Mom! Dad!" cried Fizdis happily. She ran forward and threw herself into a hug with her parents. Her mother's chocolate eyes danced with happiness, while her father simply smiled down at his wonderful daughter.

Ryou and Tristan were chatting it up, telling each other stories of what had happened in this place so far to them.

Shimon had disappeared to who knows where, probably to get in touch with his intelligence again.

All this made Yugi realize that he suddenly felt alone. Everyone had somebody to be with… somebody to make them happy.

All he wanted… was her.

Notes:

(One) – That all seemed rather abrupt, didn't it?

(Two) – I wonder how Ryou managed to do all that. Maybe Bakura has rubbed off on him. Or maybe, it wasn't all his doing.

(Three) – I'm getting gorier in my old age.

(Four) – Don't we all love our friendly neighborhood angry mobs?

SC: Wow. I wrote eighty-five percent of this chapter in two days. I am about to die.

This chapter was so boring… I'm sorry my chapters are getting boring, guys… The game doesn't talk about the actual lives these guys are living here, so I thought it'd be more interesting to talk about some of that stuff instead of about the game-centric stuff. This chapter is out a week earlier than I predicted, though, so I guess that's good.

I'll leave it up to you to decide who the "her" Yugi was talking about is. (evil laughter, then stops, remembering all the clues in previous chapters) Dang it! Well, if you go back to older chapters, please review! (grin)

Responses to my lovely reviews:

Chibi Tora – I like Joey too! I hope you like the many references I made to him this chapter (three, I think). Thank you for the compliment on my story. I'm glad knowing someone likes it. As for your question, could you be a little more specific? The last level on Yugi's side, or Kaiba's? There aren't any barriers that I know of, unless you're talking about the maze-ish part. If that's what you mean, then you just have to go in straight lines down the walkways.

bast4 – Thank you for reading the story. If you do read more, please review the other chapters! Yes, another VR story, except this one's official since it's based off a game. (grin) I'm not trying to be show-centric here, more manga- and game-centric. (The manga-centric part is like the cursing and violence stuff.)

Thunderstorm101 – I like scary Yugi too. If you like scary Yugi, then you should stick around until I get to the "Counterattack" chapter. I already have some of it written, and it is really, really scary (at least by the show standards). I'd feel sorry for the Empire too. (laugh) Thanks for the great compliment too.

There you have it! Please review; it makes me feel special and when I feel special I tend to write more!