23: Victory Condition

"Move dammit!" Reiji's tortured scream echoed through the stadium.

A shiver raced down Jounouchi's spine as he watched Reiji jerk his controls to no avail. The Star Build Strike stayed dark, rendered immobile against the wall by the Exia Dark Matter's two GN blades staked through its right shoulder joint and its chest piece respectively. Jounouchi tensed as the Exia wound back one fist and slammed it into the other Gunpla's head piece.

While watching Yuuki's Exia Dark Matter methodically pound Reiji and Sei's Gunpla into a smear against the wall, a sick emotion roiled in his stomach. When the open space field had changed into the cramped corridor that herded the team toward a dead end, Jounouchi knew it was Mashita's interference once again. But why was Yuuki going along with it? His actions now went against everything he'd preached for the last three years.

This man was nothing like the one Jounouchi admired.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he glanced at Kaiba, who watched the battle with a troubled but thoughtful expression. Scratch that, he was busy watching Yuuki instead of the one-sided fight on the battlefield.

Jounouchi risked a glance. The sunglasses— the prongs sticking out from under Yuuki's wild mane were glowing red. That wasn't normal, was it?

"Jounouchi, we need to go," Kaiba said before gliding out of the room.

In the hall outside, Jounouchi asked, "But what about Yuuki-san? That's not like him. He wouldn't fight like that—"

"I believe Mashita has brainwashed him," Kaiba folded his arms over his chest. "If I'm right, that was the Embody system in play."

Jounouchi's jaw dropped. Whatever he expected Kaiba to say, that wasn't it. And for him to say it so matter-of-factly... "Embody?"

"I read some of the files that I took from PPSE," Kaiba admitted. "One of them was about something called the Embody system. It was originally developed to work for Aila Jyrkiäinen. Remember how she went berserk during her fight with Ricardo Fellini and later Iori and Sei? I believe she was under the influence of the system then. The helmet that she wore throughout the tournament was a part of that system. The mask that Yuuki is wearing right now must function in a similar way."

Jounouchi clenched his fists and vowed to beat Mashita into a pulp. "If the mask is what's controlling him, I'll go rip it off." He was already in the news for yesterday's fiasco. What was the shame in making another big scene if he could help a friend? But Kaiba stopped him with a hand on his elbow.

"Think, Jounouchi," Kaiba hissed. "The Embody system is directly affecting Yuuki's consciousness. If you interrupt the process without properly shutting the system down first, it could do him great harm. We don't understand enough about how it works to take that risk."

"I'm not going to stand around and do nothing!" Jounouchi roared.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes and corrected him, "We are going to do something. It's a system, so someone has their finger on the button. We just need to find and stop him."

"Mashita is probably watching from his VIP box."

With this stunt, the CEO officially crossed the line. Mind control was unforgivable. Someone, namely Jounouchi, would have to teach him a lesson he won't soon forget.

"No, Mashita isn't the one with his finger on the button. He's not technically inclined enough, and I doubt he'd get his own hands dirty. But whoever it is, they'll be close by. What I previously read said the system doesn't have much range at this time and needs to be activated within 50 meters of the control target."

"We should start with the green rooms on Yuuki-san's side of the arena!"

Jounouchi sent a silent prayer for Reiji and Sei, hoping they'd be able to hold on until he and Kaiba could locate the puppet master.

They started on opposite ends of the hall and worked their way toward the center. With each empty room that Jounouchi peeked in, he grew increasingly agitated and furious. How dare Mashita resort to such dirty tricks? It was a good thing he already quit, because it was going to save them the trouble of firing him when he knocked the CEO's teeth in.

In the middle of the corridor, Jounouchi finally found a door that refused to open. He waved his company badge over the scanner and it returned a "DENIED" error. He pressed his ear against the metal, straining to hear inside.

"Increase the system's output!" Mashita's familiar voice commanded.

He banged on the door and screamed, "Who's in there?"

A loud crash sounded on the other side, followed by Allan's shout of "Jounouchi!" cut short.

"Kaiba! Over here!" Jounouchi called to his partner before squaring his shoulder and ramming it against the door. "Fuck!" He gritted his teeth through the pain coursing through his arm and shoulder.

Before he could try again, Kaiba pulled him back and snapped, "Stop it, you'll hurt yourself." Instead, he held a blank card up to the reader and the door unlocked.

"How?"

"I copied Yuugi's credentials for the break-in. I guess they haven't figured it out yet," Kaiba said as he brushed past Jounouchi to enter the green room.

The television inside was tuned to the broadcast of the battle in the arena. Allan, three security goons, and a third blond man were entangled in a mass of flailing and punching limbs on the couch. Jounouchi leapt into the fray without a second thought, tearing one goon off Allan and knocking him back. He managed to hit the other goon in the gut, knocking the air from his lungs. The final goon lunged at Jounouchi and he countered with a hard blow across his jaw. This left Allan and the blond man who had been Aila's handler fighting for control of a laptop.

"Turn off the Embody system, Barthes," Kaiba growled as he stalked closer.

"Stay out of this. It's none of your business."

Barthes groaned when Allan viciously yanked his bangs, nearly tearing the fistful of hair from their roots. It gave Allan the opening he needed to wrestle the device out of Barthes' grip. When Barthes tried to take a flying leap at Allan, Kaiba intercepted and pushed him back into the couch, pinning him with a judo hold.

With a heaving chest, Allan demanded, "How do I turn it off?"

"It's the Meijin's own fault," Barthes spat, and then gasped when Kaiba tightened his grip. "If he did as the Chairman requested, none of this would be necessary."

Jounouchi and the three security goons circled each other, searching for an opening. He hoped that Allan and Kaiba would be able to deactivate the Embody soon, because he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold them off. It had been years since he tried to take this many opponents at once. The fact the he now spent most of his time behind a workbench didn't improve his odds either. Using his speed to his advantage, Jounouchi dodged what hits he could and rolled with the punch when he couldn't. So far, he had been able to hold them off and forced them to attack one at time to keep from descending into a full-on brawl.

Suddenly, the goons shifted their attention to the television screen with palpable worry. Even Kaiba, Allan, and Barthes went quiet in the background.

On the TV broadcast, the Star Build Strike, infused with the ethereal glow of the Plavsky particles, charged forward and drove both fists straight into the Exia Dark Matter's beam sabers. An explosion of light erupted through the Exia's back, shattering its black and red facade to reveal its true white and blue form. Everyone in the room paused in the middle of their scuffles to watch the two Gunplas plunge from the air. The battlefield was already fading as the particles dispensed. On the console's surface, the Star Build Strike jerked to a standing position and pumped one triumphant arm into the air.

"The winner of the final round of the 7th Gunpla Battle Championship World Tournament is the Iori Sei and Reiji team!" The announcer declared, only to be immediately drowned out by the crowd's cheering. The camera panned in Yuuki, who had collapsed after the battle's end, and Reiji and Sei, who were helping the Meijin to his feet.

For a brief moment, Jounouchi dared to let down his guard. He turned to tell Baker's security goons to scram when a series of shudders rocked the room. On screen, jets of golden Plavsky particles erupted from the arena's floor. Most startling were the crystalline structures bursting out of the walls.

"What the hell? The particles are materializing outside of the containment field!" Jounouchi exclaimed. Cold dread flooded his body. This was bad. This was too similar to what happened in the lab accident that nearly killed Yuuki some months back.

Barthes exclaimed, "The system's gone out of control!"

"Shut it down then!" Allan pointed to the laptop on the table.

Kaiba released Barthes, and Barthes threw himself at the device. After a few seconds of typing, Barthes shook his head and said, "I can't. It's too late."

-x-x-x-

Kaiba fought the sense of vertigo on his first step into the arena. His footing was solid, but there was only the never-ending void of space and distant cold stars as far as the eye could see. Out of the corner of his eyes, reality glitched— flashing distorted glimpses of stadium seating before being subsumed by black space.

Jounouchi sucked in a sharp breath. "This is insane. That's the Zeon base from Mobile Suit Gundam ."

Further up ahead, a circle of people— including Reiji, Iori, Fellini, and Nils Nielsen— were gathered around what remained of the battle console. And in a center of their circle, the gigantic space fortress known as A Baoa Qu loomed dozens of meters in the sky, jutting through the hole in the stadium roof. The particles poured out into the atmosphere. If the particle generation and alteration rates continued at the current pace, the reaction would be unpredictable and, most likely, disastrous.

"Tatsuya!" Adams screamed and headed straight for his fighter, who was hanging back with Mashita and Baker. They immediately began working on repairs for Yuuki's Exia. Kaiba had wondered why Adams insisted on grabbing his repair kit when they left Barthes behind.

Jounouchi charged past him and grabbed Mashita by the collar. "What did you do?"

"I'm sorry!" Mashita screeched. He held up a pocket watch with a small, circular stone embedded in the cover. The stone was shining with the same golden light as the modified Plavsky particles and the crystal structures that previously materialized. "It's the Arista, I can't stop it."

Kaiba tore the watch from Mashita and examined the stone. So this was what Mashita used to resonate with the particles and control Yuuki's mind. "This can't be all. This is too small. Are you telling me that this is all that was needed to cause a chain reaction of this magnitude?"

"No," Yuuki didn't look up from his repairs as he explained. "Nielsen-kun said there's another Plavsky crystal under the stadium itself. It's enormous and has gone out for control for whatever reason. That's why they're using their Gunplas to destroy it before it can cause any further damage."

Kaiba shoved the timepiece back into Mashita's hand and said with revulsion, "This is your fault for toying with things beyond your understanding. The crystal must be resonating with your cowardice now. That's why it conjured a space fortress of all things to protect itself."

"Please just stop it! I don't care how!" Mashita whimpered.

Jounouchi dropped Mashita with a disgusted expression, and Baker immediately knelt down to comfort him. He raced over to Yuuki and Adam, asking if there was anything he could do to help. They had enough hands to work on the Exia. Kaiba turned away and approached the battle console. The machine was barely visible through the gaps in the materialization effect. The more time that passed, the more their reality underneath seemed to destabilize. On the battlefield, an army of automated Gunpla mocks flooded out of the fortress to engage the eight other Gunplas in battle. Reiji and the others were holding their own, but their enemies were never-ending and didn't tire. For every mock they defeated, another three rose in its place.

Someone approached the console at a run. At first, Kaiba thought it was Yuuki, but it was Yasaka Mao, one of the other tournament finalists. Without a second thought, he threw his Gunpla into the fray and blasted a hole into the fortress with its satellite cannon. In that instance, the battle plan was formed. Reiji, Iori, Aila, and another girl in glasses would enter A Baoa Qu with their Gunplas and make their way to the center of the fortress where the Plavsky crystal was housed. The others would continue to fight and guard the makeshift entrance to prevent the mocks from getting in the four fighters' way.

It could work if they were able to stand against the endless tides of automated mocks.

"I'm sorry, Tatsuya, but this is the best we can do on a short notice." Adam's quiet apology pulled Kaiba from his reverie.

From where he stood, the Exia looked to be in better shape. The Meijin and his builder leaned their heads together to share a few words. Jounouchi moved away to join Kaiba at the foot of the console.

"I should be able to do more," Kaiba growled as Yajima Caroline's SD Knight Gundam and Nielsen's Sengoku Astray Gundam took damage. He had worked too hard to keep Gozaburo from obtaining the Plavsky particles and weaponizing them. The idea that, despite his incompetence, Mashita might do just that infuriated him.

Jounouchi grabbed his hand and pressed something plastic and familiar into his palm. Kaiba lifted the object, eyes widening when he saw it was his 00 Qan[T].

"How?" he asked.

"I grabbed it on the way out of the apartment this morning," Jounouchi shrugged with a small smile on his lips. "Maybe it was a hunch."

Yuuki stopped at the top of the stairs and met Kaiba's eyes with determination. "Let's go, Kaiba-kun."

"Go," Jounouchi ordered before falling back and gesturing to Mashita and Baker. "The Chief and I will keep an eye on them."

He and Yuuki were barely on the field for more than a few seconds before a huge beam of energy pierced the heavens. The attack originated from inside the fortress, blowing a second hole in its hull.

"Reiji-han, Sei-han, what happened?" Yasaka exclaimed.

A video comm from Yuuki popped up on Kaiba's HUD. "We need to backup Sei-kun and Reiji-kun. Let's advance to the inside."

A portion of the mocks not destroyed by the energy attack had changed their heading for the new and larger opening.

Iori's voice crackled over the voice comms. "China-chan and Aila-san..."

Kaiba urged his 00 Qan[T] faster, keeping pace with Yuuki's Exia as they cut through waves of mocks. From the mouth of the opening, he realized they were staring down the barrel of a life-sized particle cannon. Going in with their Gunplas turned out to be the safest plan after all. There was no telling what effect a blast of that magnitude might do to the human body, but it was guaranteed to be destructive at a close range. Inside, Reiji's Star Build Strike and Iori's Build Gundam Mk-II were defending the beaten remains of Aila's Miss Sazabi and a Beargguy III.

Yuuki gave a battle-cry and charged, "Rage on, Exia! Trans-Am!"

The Exia shifted color spectrum into red, streaking like a comet down the corridor and leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Not to be outdone, Kaiba cleaved through the new group trying to enter through the opening. He kept one ear on the conversation going behind him as he called up Sword Bits A1 and A2, directing them into two incoming mocks.

"Yuuki Tatsuya?" Reiji exclaimed with confusion coloring his words. He probably hadn't expected Yuuki to join the fight because of how damaged the Exia had been. But despite Yuuki's encouragement, the two machines hesitated to leave the girls' side.

"Leave this part to us," Yuuki insisted.

Kaiba eyed the next incoming wave. The fighters outside the fortress had already thinned the advance as best as they could. This was not the most defensible choke-point, especially given the giant cannon to their backs. But together, Yuuki and he should be able to hold the mocks off here.

"Us?" Iori asked.

They were wasting time they couldn't afford, and the particle cannon was already charging up for another attack. It meant the cannon had a cooldown of about a minute before it could fire again. Cringing softly, Kaiba realized why the weapon looked so familiar. It was based off an old Kaiba Corporation blueprint Gozaburo forced him to memorize years ago. In the end, the project was shelved when they were unable to develop a suitable battery. The schematics must have ended up as part of the virtual arsenal that PPSE used to emulate combat, except now the cannon had a reliable power source with the giant Plavsky crystal.

Just perfect.

He linked his video comm with both Reiji and Iori, and snapped, "If that cannon can fire such a powerful beam, the crystal itself must be powering it. It needs to be destroyed before the alteration effect becomes irreversible."

Kaiba didn't like the idea of leaving the final assault to Iori and Reiji, but their forces were already spread too thin. The Star Build Strike and its RG system made it particularly suited to deal with whatever remaining defenses the fortress and the crystal might muster. With all six of the Sword Bits slotted into place, he configured the GN Sword into buster rifle mode. He aimed the attack at the exposed power coupling, aborting the firing sequence and creating another opening to advance further into the heart of A Baoa Qu.

"Iori-kun, Kaiba-kun and I will protect them. Go!"

"There's no time to waste," Kaiba added before turning his buster rifle on their enemies. The next time he looked back, the Star Build Strike and Build Gundam Mk-II were gone. He'd have to trust the two teenagers to complete their mission. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the battle at hand.

-x-x-x-

The world righted itself in a blinding flash of light. Slowly, the vision of space and A Baoa Qu faded. The stadium reverted back to its original and now battered state— stress fractures running across the length of the walls and sections of seating partially collapsed. Finally, the life bled out of their Gunplas and the various bits of mocks scattered throughout the arena. The plastic models became immobile and dropped to the ground.

"They did it," Jounouchi said breathlessly.

Reiji and Iori had successfully destroyed the Plavsky crystal and reversed the alteration effect.

While everyone was enthralled by the shower of fading particles, Kaiba gave Jounouchi's hand a brief squeeze. As he opened his mouth to thank him, a high-pitched shriek broke the moment. It was Baker, and she was screaming because Mashita was glowing. The man blabbered something about not wanting to return to someplace named Arian. Baker launched herself at Mashita, and the two of them finally vanished in a cascade of red light.

"They disappeared," Adams gasped.

After getting over his initial shock, Kaiba thought good riddance. They were nothing but trouble. Judging by Jounouchi's expression, he probably thought something similar.

"Let's get to it then." Reiji declared, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Huh? Get to what?" Iori knitted his eyebrows in confusion.

"Yuuki Tatsuya was being controlled by that bastard, Mashita. That kind of victory doesn't feel like winning," Then regarding Kaiba directly, Reiji added, "And you, Kaiba Seto, withdrew before we had a chance to fight. You both owe me and Sei a battle."

Kaiba smirked at the boy, remembering how he'd challenged Kaiba after the second round of the qualifiers. At that time, he told them to pass the qualifiers first. They did just that and so much more.

"You're really gonna fight now? And you're going to fight both of them at the same time?" Aila asked.

"No," Reiji looked meaningfully at his partner. "We'll both fight both of you, two on two."

"But I can't! My control skills are awful!" Iori protested and bit his lower lip.

"That's not true, you're not bad at all."

"Huh?"

Smiling almost sadly, Reiji turned to face Iori as he explained, "You love Gunpla so much that you were afraid of damaging them in battle. That's why you couldn't concentrate on controlling. What you're missing isn't skill, but the resolve to fight on, even if you might lose. Just like you did now when we destroyed the crystal. You can do this."

Iori surveyed the people gathered. "It's true, I've learned a lot from everyone at this tournament: Yuuki-senpai, Kaiba-san, Fellini-san, Mao-kun, Nils-kun, Aila-san, and China-chan..."

Kaiba snorted. What did he have to teach anybody? Whatever snide remark he planned to make died on his tongue when Jounouchi shook his head and stared pointedly back. Ah, that's right. Iori Sei was not the only person to have learned lessons through this tournament. They were all catalysts of each other's transformations.

"If you have all that, you can move forward, right? The particles are disappearing. We may never be able to play Gunpla Battle again. So let's fight our last battle side by side." Reiji grinned and encouraged.

Iori steeled his resolve, standing straighter. "I understand. Let's battle."

Yuuki nodded with similar determination, "Yes, let's. What do you say, Kaiba-kun?"

Kaiba agreed even before Jounouchi rested a reassuring hand on his back. It would be a shame to turn away worthy opponents for they were few and far in between. If this was going to be his last chance for Gunpla battle, then Kaiba would seize it without regret. But compared to the Star Build Strike, his and Yuuki's Gunpla took relatively minor damage.

"Here, take these," Fellini stepped up and offered both of the Wing Gundam Fenice Rinascita's arms to Reiji. Yasaka followed suit by handing over two beam rifles.

Kaiba took stock of his 00 Qan[T]. He lost four of the six Sword Bits during the battle inside A Baoa Qu, but the GN Sword itself was intact. As a result, he wouldn't be able to use the buster rifle or buster sword configuration. Glancing over at Yuuki and Adams, Kaiba knew the Exia was similarly compromised. Iori's Build Gundam Mk-II was the least damaged of the four Gunplas, but it lacked any special features to begin with. As they were, they would be evenly matched.

Kaiba and Yuuki occupied one end of the console opposite Reiji and Iori. As the battle machine booted up for the final time, Kaiba swept his gaze over the group gathered— some of whom he'd come to know better than others. But the one commonality they shared had been the force of will demonstrated today. While they may part and head separate ways in the near future, this would be one of those moments they would all be able to look back on, wouldn't it? People created bonds with one another, whether they meant to or not.

When he met Jounouchi's eyes, the builder lit up and gave him two thumbs-up. "Show them what you got," he mouthed silently.

"You ready, Meijin?" he turned his head to ask Yuuki, armed with a cocky smirk and a light heart.

Brimming with anticipation, the Meijin chortled and pushed his hair back. "Let's give it everything we have, Kaiba-kun."

Who he was today felt different from yesterday, which was different from who he was last week or the month and year before that. What he would become tomorrow or the day after was unwritten. Despite the future's uncertainty, Kaiba looked forward to discovering what came next.

-x-x-x-

Was he going to wake up at any moment and discover the entire day was nothing more than a dream?

Jounouchi stumbled out of the stadium exit in a daze, raising one arm to shield his eyes from the harsh sunlight. His mind whirled, replaying all of the day's events over. Kaiba's presence was a calming counterpoint to his storm of confused thoughts. Everything felt surreal. Who would have known that day would have started with mind control and went downhill from there? Outside, a crowd of bewildered bystanders milled around the sidewalk. Jounouchi instinctively steered clear of the firefighters and police now arriving at the scene. Kaiba made no protests when Jounouchi caught his hand and led them away. Without thinking, they ended up at the nearby park, which was empty— probably because everyone was rubbernecking at the stadium.

Enveloped by the quiet, Jounouchi allowed himself to mourn. Losing the Plavsky particles was like losing an old friend. He took it for granted until it was no longer there. What was he going to do with his life now? Then a pang of guilt pricked him. Sei actually lost a friend today. While the teenager did his best to smile until the very end— sending Aila off with a message and a Gunpla— everyone understood that a now insurmountable gulf existed between here and wherever Reiji returned to. With the Plavsky crystal gone, Reiji was not likely to find his way back here again.

Jounouchi felt sad— for Sei and Reiji, for Kaiba and himself, for everyone.

He spun around to face Kaiba, who somehow managed the most neutral expression in the world. Without giving him any chance to protest, Jounouchi threw both arms around his waist and pulled him into an embrace. He closed his eyes, buried his face in Kaiba's firm shoulder, and breathed. He needed a moment. And maybe this way, he could steal of piece of Kaiba's unfaltering confidence.

Kaiba's first reaction was to stiffen, then he gradually relaxed and brought one hand up to smooth the hair at the nape of Jounouchi's neck. "What's wrong, Jounouchi?" The question was spoken tenderly and it tugged at Jounouchi's heartstrings.

"It's over, everything's gone," Jounouchi muttered into the folds of Kaiba's shirt. In response, the fingers on the back of his neck firmed their caresses.

"It's not like you to be this gloomy," Kaiba said.

Jounouchi lifted his head to give him a mortified look. "We have no jobs. It's not just us. What about Yuugi and the rest of the Works Team? Gunpla Battle is history without the Plavsky particles. How can you be so calm?"

"We have ourselves," Kaiba corrected sternly and then cast his gaze skyward. "And we have each other. The rest we'll eventually figure out. There's never one set path for our lives. You taught me that, Jounouchi."

A long time ago, Jounouchi wondered if their connection began and ended with Gunpla or if it was entirely dependent on his usefulness to Kaiba. Then feelings and sex became part of the equation, making everything messier and harder to disentangle. Kaiba's quiet confession had gone a long way to alleviate Jounouchi's worries. But now he could lay the last remnants of those old fears to rest and bury them six feet under. He tightened his arms around Kaiba's waist, debating with himself on whether or not a kiss was welcomed at this moment.

One look into Kaiba's eyes and Jounouchi's mind was made up for him. He laid one hand on Kaiba's jaw, nudging his head into position. Jounouchi leaned forward on his tiptoes and captured his lips, pouring every drop of his anxiety and hopes into the kiss. After all, nothing was truly over unless they let it be. Kaiba responded by angling his head to better accommodate him and clamping both palms across the small of his back. They stayed wrapped up in each other, drawing comfort and strength after their long week.

Eventually, Jounouchi became embarrassed of his own clinginess and retreated with a cough to cover up his discomfort. He scratched his cheek as he apologized, "Sorry, it's not every day that my career literally goes up in smoke. Maybe Bandai Hobby will hire me. But they're more likely to lay people off now that Gunpla Battle is finished."

Kaiba drew himself to his full height, turning his steely gaze toward Jounouchi. When he spoke, his voice was steady and full of conviction. "There may be another way, Jounouchi. I have a plan. It won't be easy. It might not even be possible—"

Jounouchi pushed back at the gloomy thoughts. They had saved the day! Reiji might be gone, but he went home. Everyone else, including Yuuki, made it through the incident without harm. Kaiba and Yuuki both got to have one last battle with Reiji and Sei, even though the machine gave out before a winner could be determined. After today's events, Jounouchi was ready to face the world and whatever it threw at him.

Kaiba was ready to do the same.

A slow smile spread across Jounouchi's lips, and a renewed sense of strength rushed through his blood. He threaded his fingers through Kaiba's and squeezed. "Say no more, whatever you have planned, I'm in."

You said there are no limits, and I fell in love