Cards With Teeth
Vengeance. As Seto walked out of the elevator doors and onto the bridge leading to the dome in the center of the room, it was the only thought on her mind. How incredibly sweet it would be, when she dosed Yugi with the same punishment he'd given her all those months ago she thought to herself with a cold smile. How very, very, sweet. Standing on the bridge, the woman watched as Yugi began to come forwards from his own side."Welcome," she began, smirking as the teen looked at her with a red-faced glare. "To the final stage of Death-T."
"Kaiba," the boy hissed, fists clenched tightly as they entered the dome. They would sit close, directly across from the other for this. Though the table itself seemed standard, the room would still be able to pick up on the images and spells played. She blinked as an odd, possibly confused look came over his face. "For some reason," the teen began, eyes still narrowed with rage, "Jonouchi asked me to relay a message to you."
The woman smirked, before pulling out her deck. "Really now," she said, shuffling the cards before humoring her rival. "And what did your 'pet' tell you then?" She'd consider it a 'last few words' before he died.
Yugi's expression of loathing increased, before he continued. "I believe he asked me to comment on your apparently high level of estrogen... If that means anything to you."
Apparently it did, though Seto hid it amazingly well. Regardless of the fact that Yugi seemed to have missed the meaning completely, this did nothing to improve her mood. "Well," she said through gritted teeth. So the mutt had fangs did he? She would deal with him later, she supposed. After all, there were bigger fish to fry for the moment. "Talking is pointless. Let's get on with deciding our fates..." Rather, deciding how badly to inflict his. She slammed her deck on the table, continuing. "Show me your cards, Yugi!"
"Gladly, Kaiba!" He as well placed his cards on the table, before frowning as Kaiba switched them.
Looking at the confused expression on Yugi's face, she explained. "Before the game," she began, shuffling the deck before passing it back. "We shuffle and cut each other's decks. That way things are... Fair," she said with a smirk, watching as Yugi did as said with her own deck before passing it back. Not like she wanted any of the useless cards in his deck anyways.
She had to hand it to the kid though, for crawling this far. Past trap after trap after trap, he'd managed to somehow make it with even his so-called posse intact. 'But now,' she thought with a cold smile that refused to budge, 'You've hit a dead end. Because this, Yugi... Is where you die...' After all; she had the strongest monsters, the Blue Eyes White Dragons in her deck. And no card in the world could even hope to defeat them! So let him come with anything... "Let the duel begin," she said with a smirk. As Yugi nodded, they drew their cards. 2000 life points each, 40 cards per deck. There was no way she would lose this time. No way whatsoever.
"Fortress Guardian," Yugi stated as he summoned a card. Not showing any hesitancy whatsoever as the monster fogged into existence, he pointed it forwards. "Attack!"
The woman nodded, before summoning her own card. It wasn't as powerful of course, but it was more than enough to take the brunt of the damage for her. "I'll accept that challenge," she stated before placing the card. "I'll play 'Cyclops'!"
The dragon attacked, crushing the cyclops as it screamed out of existence. Her life points dropped by 200 thanks to the difference in attack power, but no matter, she thought as Yugi crossed his arms. After all, give it another draw or so...
And this match would be hers. "Hmp," she said with a slight snort. "It didn't even itch..." Yes, she thought, drawing a card. He won the first 'battle', but she still had her blue-eyes after all. And once she drew those cards, it would all be over. As Yugi stared at her from across the table, she continued to smirk. He was visibly waiting, breath baited as she drew her card. Would it be the dragon, she imagined him thinking. Was he dead already? Hnhnhnhn... "Yugi... Everytime I draw a card," she said with a cold grin, "I can hear your heart race..." Seto watched as the teen visibly flinched, likely more from the statement itself rather than the drawing of the actual card. "Because when I pull the Blue Eyes White Dragon from my deck, you're as good as dead..." She played a card, snorting. "But lucky for you, the card I drew was Degenerating Worm Beast... Or is it unlucky?," Seto continued with a chuckle. "After all," she said as she sent the monster into battle with Yugi's dragon, "It beats your Fortress Guardian in level and matches it in attack! Now, fight!"
Yugi frowned, his dragon coming to the defense. "With pleasure," he called, before continuing. "While your Worm Beast is more powerful, my own monster has a special ability!" Of course it did; it seemed to be his specialty, pulling 'abilities' out of a hat.
She scoffed, continuing nonetheless. "Worm Beast attacks with Poison Spray, a venom attack that will melt the very flesh of an enemy's body!" And with the pain tied to each player in this room of hologram technology, she couldn't wait to see the results. However.
The boy smirked. "Fortress Guardian uses its special ability, 'Aviation'! Giving it a 35% chance of dodging the attack!" Much to Kaiba's displeasure, the dragon did just that, causing Yugi's smirk to grow as she growled. 35% and it succeeded... Honestly. "Success... And now, the dragon attacks!"
A small explosion occurred, the worm beast disintegrating as her points remained where they were. "Hm..." Thanks to the identical levels of attack, she didn't lose any life points... So this was alright. For now at least.. "I'm not about to end my turn without a monster on the field," she said with a condescending tone. Hn... Which one to play... Aha. This one had a fairly high defense, he would work. "I'll place this card in defense," she began, watching as 'Sagi the Dark Clown' appeared for her temporary 'wall'. "And end my turn..." Thanks to the rules of play, Yugi wouldn't be able to tell who it was however; even that small fact would likely cause her opponent to freeze slightly.
Yugi frowned for a moment, drawing a card before nodding. "Hn... In that case, I'll lay this monster in defense as well, ending my own turn."
"Hmp," she muttered with a grin. "Putting up meat shields for when Blue Eyes appears..." The woman chuckled darkly, before continuing. "But it's no use... Even without them, I can still defeat you easily. I'll show you!" Now that she had this card in her hand, she could switch back to the offensive again! She moved her clown, smirking. "Sagi the Dark Clown moves into attack mode," she began, watching as Yugi merely stared in silence. "Of course," she continued, "Right now its attack points are too low. So I'll play this card, 'Dark Energy'," she said with a grin, "And triple it's attack points!" She laughed darkly as Yugi's expression became one of shock and possible rage, Sagi's attack increasing to 400 points more than his own dragon. "Now then Sagi, attack the Fortress Guardian with Dark Glide!"
The dragon roared as a wave of black energy hit him, Yugi's life points dropping to 1600. She continued chuckling, leaning back in her chair as she put herself back in the lead. "Your dragon is history... Such is the power of Sagi and his 'Dark Energy..." And even that was nothing in comparison to her dragon's attacks.
Yugi drew a card, visibly scowling at the result. Good, she thought as she studied the teen's expression. This was getting closer and closer to a quick win... "I'll play a monster in defense mode," he finally said with a frown, "And wait for your attack!"
She laughed coldly, grinning in response. "And I'll simply crush them one-by-one!" The crowd cheered as Seto struck down the first of Yugi's defensive monsters, bringing the teen's lifepoint count down another 200 points thanks to its negative effect. Defense, defense defense... And eventually, he'd have no where to run! "Hn hn hn... Feeling scared yet," she asked with a smirk. She could practically see the boy's excuses for 'friends', calling him now as they watched from the edge of their seats. Watching as their pathetic 'trump card' failed them..! "Yugi, Yugi, Yugi," she 'sighed', watching as Sagi destroyed yet another defense position monster. "I'm disappointed in you..! I might not even get to use my Blue Eyes in this duel!" The teen responded with silence, so she continued with a harsh laugh. "And to top that off, you're using the same deck that half-dead old man left behind!" Her grin grew as Yugi's scowl deepened, and she continued. "I can almost hear the cards now, gasping and trying not to die!"
"Kaiba," the boy said, eliciting a blank look from the woman. "Do you believe in your cards," he continued, causing her to freeze slightly in shock.
She frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Excuse me..?" Did he really just ask her something like that? Something that stupid and childish? Honestly, Yugi was short, but she at least expected someone her age to act it! ...Though certain mongrels proved her wrong despite this...
Yugi drew a card from his deck, still talking. "Because I believe in these! And I play the Dark Knight Gaia!" She reeled back slightly in shock, watching as Yugi summoned the strongest 'Knight Class' card in the deck. Shit. With 2300 attack power, this card could easily slash through her clown! Damn it! "Attack the Dark Clown, Gaia! With Spiral Shaver!" The knight charged, leaving Sagi comically cleaved into pieces as its owner nodded. "Destroyed!" Really, he didn't say?
As if she didn't know that already! Kaiba's points dropped to 1300 hundred, the crowd roaring yet again. "Hmp," she said as she regained her cold, blank stare. "A trump card..." Not a bad one either. For a runt at least.
He sighed. "You still don't get it," he said as he shook his head. "And you likely won't, until the very end..."
The woman scoffed as it came to her turn. Pathetic. "Please, don't start speaking as though you've won... The end to this match was decided long ago!" By her. She drew a card, looking at it before grinning wickedly. "How convenient... I drew the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" She summoned the card, relishing in Yugi's shocked expression as the shimmering beast appeared at his side. "It seems your trump card was worth nothing in the end," she said with a laugh. As the crowd around cheered at the card's summoning, she pointed it forwards. "Blue Eyes attacks! With Burst Destruction Beam!" A shock-wave emitted through the dome, Gaia giving a harsh cry as the dragon's blast easily disintegrated him. A wind of sorts even resulted from the strike, blowing back a few strands of Yugi's hair and threatening to bring a few cards off the table. She laughed madly, feeling the battle draw still closer to her goal of vengeance. "And to think," she said as she laughed, Yugi's expression becoming more and more horrified as the teen's points plummeted to 700. "I still have two more Blue Eyes White Dragons in my deck! You're already dead!"
Losers died. A harsh lesson, but one she'd learned very quickly all those months ago. She'd held out to the point where her entire being was an act, a ploy to keep everyone eating out of her hand as the company traveled in whatever direction she wished. She was a winner. She would always be a winner. And she was not letting some midget with starfish hair change that!
Because her life depended on it. "Now then," she said with a smirk. "Draw a card Yugi... After all, Blue Eyes needs another monster to kick around..!" Seto watched as the teen drew a card, playing the 'Imp' in defense mode with a scowl. "Hnhnhnhn... Attack!" The dragon did as commanded, a grin playing on its owner's face as Yugi flinched. "A crushing death, an honorable death," she said with the grin fading into a smirk. "An explosive death... Really Yugi, you're disappointing me!" As her dragon returned to her side, she crossed her arms and leaned back. "If you keep summoning defense position monsters, I can't get to your lifepoints..." Her eyes narrowed, and she continued. "Of course... Either way, you won't be able to hold out very long, Yugi..." Kaiba watched as Yugi scowled, an almost sadistic smile playing on her face. "Now then, summon another monster! After all, it doesn't matter which one!"
"Rgg..." Her smirk grew as the boy grumbled, before summoning still another defense position monster. Of course. After all, with defense, he wouldn't take damage.
Kaiba drew another card, smirking. "And now, Attack- Or perhaps not..." Her eyes narrowed with sick amusement, adding the card to her hand. "I don't think I'll attack just yet... Instead, why don't you summon another pathetic monster, so that my Blue Eyes has a few more toys to play with..." Vengeance was hers, she told herself as Yugi's eyes widened with shock. He knew full well what would happen when she summoned her second Blue Eyes after all. He couldn't summon more than one monster each turn, and two to one was an obvious match up. And speaking of Blue Eyes... She grinned. "And would you look at this... The Goddess of Victory is smiling down on me today..." The look of dismay on her opponents face was absolutely beautiful, she thought to herself. Just... Beautiful... "I summon Blue Eyes!" Seto chuckled, crossing her arms as she rubbed the sting of upcoming defeat further into Yugi's being. "And on my next turn, they'll both attack..." 'I win', she thought to herself. After all of this, she would finally be able to go home and have a full night's sleep, knowing that her opponent was having the same nightmares she'd been plagued with since that fateful battle. She'd wake up the next morning and read some Nietzsche, and maybe even pull herself out of highschool. She was a CEO after all; what the hell did she need classes for?
And yet... "I draw a card," the teen said, voice filled with a somehow renewed confidence. "And I play the magic card Swords of Revealing Light!" For the love of- The one card that would stall her!
"What!" She scowled, the swords appearing to trap her two blue-eyes. Seto's expression of cruel humor switched completely to one of seething rage, her eyes narrowing as she stared Yugi down. "You... To use such a cheap card..." The anger vanished however, and she replaced her cold smile before speaking."Well... All you're doing is delaying the inevitable I suppose..." Her smile grew into a smirk, expression darkening as Yugi frowned. "The Blue Eyes White Dragons will be released in three turns after all, and what can you possibly do in that amount of time?" Just three turns. Nothing more than that, only three turns. Nothing would happen. Nothing. This game was still hers. Watching her opponent scowl at the statement, she drew another card with a blank expression. "Hn... I play this monster in attack position... But the Blue Eyes will still be the ones to destroy you," Kaiba stated with a small smirk. "Go ahead and envision the finale... You have three turns after all." The smile darkened as it grew, her eyes narrowing until they were essentially slits. "Draw your cards... They'll be your last."
Yugi fell silent as she said this, staring at his deck for what seemed like ages. The crowd screamed for action, Seto as well becoming fairly impatient. "Yugi," she shouted, not caring if her rival jumped or simply continued with his move. "I'm in no mood for delay! Now draw a card!" The silence persisted, and as her fists tightened around her crossed arms she growled. "You've had more than enough time to beg for your life..! Draw a card!"
The teen snapped to attention, eyes narrowed as he did as requested. "Of course," he said, before looking at his hand with a smile. Odd... Her own smile vanished slightly, pondering the sudden change of her opponent's heart. She had him backed completely into a corner, there was no changing that. So why was he suddenly acting as though there was a way to win? Why... "My turn," she muttered, drawing a card before mentally shrugging. "Well," Kaiba said as she placed the card 'Judge Man' on the field. "To pass the time, I think I'll play this monster to destroy your defenses..." Even with her dragons trapped, she could still corner her prey after all. And with an attack of 2200, it would easily destroy anything he summoned up for defense. Not to mention, she added mentally, his current ones. "Heh..."
"I summon the Dark Magician," her opponent said with a glare, the sorcerer appearing to the teen's side. Tch... Useless, useless struggling... "Attack the Judge Man, with Black Magic!" Her points dropped to 1000, and she snorted as the boy continued to speak. "Until the very end Kaiba," he said clearly, "I won't give up. No matter how grim it looks... I know that there's a way to beat you!" Really. Keep thinking that. It would make the end result so much more worth the wait.
She scoffed, mentally dreaming of how wonderful it would be when she didn't have to hear that voice shouting in her head again. "Ah yes... Of course," she said with a sarcastic smile. "But at last, it's the final turn, and your chances have disappeared!" Kaiba drew a card, before a manic grin appeared on her face once more. "The final card... The third Blue Eyes White Dragon! Now," she cried, holding back her laughter as Yugi froze. "Attack the Dark Magician!" In the resulting blast, her opponent shook slightly as his points dropped to 200. "Hahahahaha!" So close, she was so close now... "Now, draw your last card Yugi... Because regardless of what it is, you're still going to die!" The crowd continued to cheer, the swords of light vanishing from around her two other dragons. "And now that your cheap little magic card is gone, my dragons are free to attack next turn... I can't wait..!" She couldn't help but let out another fit of laughter, Yugi merely glaring back at her as he took his turn.
Let him hope, she thought, Gozaburo's suicidal leap months before coming to mind as she grinned menacingly. No matter what, in the end she won... No matter what. "Hurry up and draw Yugi," she said with a sneer. "You can't stall the inevitable forever..!" No matter what he drew, she would destroy it... No matter what it was! What a relief he would feel once it was finally over with... The knowledge of upcoming death would finally over take him and it would all be over...
And she would stand at the top again... She smirked as the teen's face twisted with fear, only for the expression to drop. Yugi's face... It had suddenly calmed, and an almost 'at peace' smile had replaced it. What was this..? A pathetic cover for his fear, a still clinging hope that refused to die? What was it? The boy continued to smile, shaking his head. "You're wrong, Kaiba," he said as he placed the card in his hand. "I've found my hope." What was this... Why did she feel cold again, like she had the last time, when he'd destroyed her monsters and won the duel they'd played. What was this feeling... This endless feeling of dread she was getting again... "I drew... Exodia, the Sealed One!"
Her already faded smirk vanished instantly. Impossible. Impossible impossible impossible, there was no way this brat had managed Exodia, no way he'd bothered keeping the normally useless cards in his hand this long! And yet...
And yet..!
"Now," Yugi said with a calm and commanding grin. "I join all five cards!"
Seto's eyes widened with shock as the hologram of a pentacle appeared, Exodia's limbs and head exiting each point with an eerie grin. No... No no no, it wasn't possible, to summon Exodia, it wasn't..! "You..." She couldn't speak, she couldn't move... Exodia's effect was unstoppable after all, even by her now hissing Blue Eyes White Dragons. "You... You..." The monster chuckled darkly, flexing his muscles as he was freed from his chains by the summoning.
And across from her, Yugi merely stared down with narrowed eyes. "Attack," he called out, Exodia gladly following the orders. "Raging Hellfire; Exode Flame!"
Exodia's attack was infinite. It was impossible to avoid his attack. As the dome became engulfed with light, Kaiba almost screamed at the loss of her dragons, her life points... Everything...
'This is what happens to people who lose Seto!' Gozaburo was laughing in her mind, and all she could do was stare at Yugi with wide eyes as the voice grated against her ears and her thoughts. 'Remember that! REMEMBER THAT!' "You... You..." 'Losers die...' "My Blue Eyes... Annihilated..."
'LOSERS DIE!'
And he dared, even now, to give him a speech..? Dared to look across the table and bring some stupid, moronically philosophical meaning from this match? "Of course," Yugi began, Kaiba staring at him with crazed and hate filled eyes. "The Blue Eyes could easily destroy one lone piece of Exodia... However," he continued, "Even though each individual part is weak, when united, they form an invincible whole!"
"You... You can't..." It was impossible... It would take a miracle... Yet it had happened. Beyond anything it happened and now... Now..! Her eyes continued to widen with horror as she realized just what was coming next, sweat already gathering across her neck as the blood drained from her face. Now...
Now came 'death'. Yugi's frown remained set, and as he stood from his seat the boy narrowed his eyes. "I win Kaiba..." He continued to scowl, before placing his cards on the table and looking to his opponent's own end of it. "And now, as the rules state... The loser must face a penalty game!" No. No no no no no she screamed in her mind, god damn it why! WHY! "An instant of atonement Kaiba," the teen snarled as he pointed toward the woman. "PENALTY GAME! MIND CRUSH!"
That was all she heard before falling limp, before falling into darkness. All she saw, as she felt herself fragment into pieces, collapsing in on herself almost... She couldn't move, she couldn't scream, she couldn't feel...
All she could see...
...
...
...
...
...
It was dark. Seto looked around, frowning. Where was this? What was going on... She couldn't remember anything, anything at all. Nothing except...
The girl looked herself over, her form the same that she'd held years ago at an orphanage divided clean in two among genders. A simple t-shirt, pants... Her hair was cut short, hanging loosely around her eyes. "Where..." There was no answer. "...Who..." Still, no answer. Just emptiness...
She wandered the darkness, clutching her arms for warmth. It felt as though she'd been trapped somewhere, somewhere dark but... The girl frowned. Well, she was still stuck wasn't she? There was no one here, and although she didn't know what had happened (Or who she was for that matter; that was never good), she had a feeling that his meant she was still 'stuck'. The girl stumbled slightly as she tripped over something metal.
-Clink.- Seto turned to look down, blinking. What was that..? The girl knelt down, reaching out to grab what looked to be a gold coloured block of sorts. "...A puzzle piece..."
-Clink. Clink.- She turned, blinking as a pile of pieces appeared before her eyes. A puzzle... Seto walked over, picking up another piece and feeling it over before putting it back in the pile. These pieces... They felt important somehow, life-changing even. The girl stared at the puzzle in silence, before coming to a single conclusion. After all, she supposed, digging through to try and put the pile together. There was nothing else to do here...
So she mind as well fix this mess of a heart that she apparently had.
AN: Because hey, not like ancient Egyptian Pharaoh's knew what estrogen was. AHAHAHAAAA. A high HIGH warning for OOC Seto from this point until a little later in; a fair amount of personality has to do with circumstance and memory after all and... Well. InnerSeto doesn't have either of those right now, so she'll be considerably less bad-ass than the Kaiba we all know and love.
Consider it her punishment for being such a bitch... Still. By far my favorite line typing this chapter: 'For some reason, Jonouchi asked me to say something about Estrogen. Don't know why'. - As Seto SEEEEEETHES.
Special thanks to those who actually added this story to their favorites list. I hope that this chapter doesn't take away from that honor!
Usagi's Manga Guide/Corner
The section that while amazing, did not avoid having little to talk about last chapter. D'OH. Sadly this one too... Or maybe I need to pay more attention.
Bonus points go to those who noticed that this chapter title is the same as the very first manga chapter we see Kaiba in; both that chapter and the second chapter (That 'game' being the first to span more than one chapter even) were called 'Cards With Teeth'... Which served as an eerie form of irony at the penalty. Oddly enough, there's an even later chapter in the manga that draws from this... But I won't say which one, as that would spoil things.
Oh boy is it hard to type a card game and make it interesting! And yet the manga manages to do just that... Most likely because the holograms bring out all sorts of silly things that would otherwise never happen. You say your dragon being airborne gives you an advantage? SHOW ME, THEY'RE CARDS. And yet, thanks to this... It's perfectly possible. Heck, it gets worse later on, when Yami's 'moon' card gives his opponent an advantage by pulling the tide in... And as soon as the sea monsters are all over on his side of the field, he destroys the moon, beaching them all before frying them up rather nicely with a dragon. Mmmmm FISH.
It's kind of interesting for Kaiba of all people to mention fate given what happens later in Battle City... ('SCREW FATE!' You don't say...)
Fun fact; Yugi's hair is often likened to a starfish in Japanese. Add the fact that Judai from GX is compared to a Jellyfish while Yusei from 5Ds is compared to a crab, and you have the perfect invertebrate trio. Awwww. (Gets better with Yuma the 'shrimp', from Zexal... Though many others disagree and say either 'spider' or 'lion fish'.)
On an Anime note, those huge fields with cool raising stands on them did not ever exist in the manga; instead, it's literally just a table that spits out holograms. The closest we get is actually Mokuba's CapMon battle, during which the holograms appear on a large field below rather than the table; most likely due to the fact that CapMon is played with figurines, so it gets a little weird otherwise. (As opposed to cards, which are flat.)
Until the next chapter! I'll see you~