Iris' Request
The battle went on.
High above the arena floor stood Pegasus, watching with his golden eye as a villainous smirk played over his face. Across the room on the exact opposite side was 'Bandit' Keith, whose name had quite likely taken a literal turn since his loss to Pegasus himself... Keith likely could have cared less however, and was obviously paying more attention to the misfortunes of those playing than the duel itself. By the door in the meantime stood the same 'suit' who had as of yet given no name and looked as though he didn't particularly plan to. 'Crocketts,' a voice seemed to whisper in his ear; the blond held back a shudder at the sound, mentally shaking the unknown and bodiless voice off. Lets try not to go crazy today...
They were supposed to pay attention... He and Anzu watched as the first match of the semi-finals commenced, Yugi having for only a moment no monsters on the field against Mai's own powered up Harpy Lady and 'Pet Dragon'. Mai's words... 'What can you show that cannot be seen'... Katsuya frowned as the riddle came to mind, partially for the fact that Mai brought it up, and partially for the sheer annoyance this 'unknown answer' was proving. His answer was 'wrong', but he knew that the 'situational' ones, the ones that weren't really the answer weren't it... In the end, watching the Harpy Lady blow raspberries at him convinced the blond to leave it lie for at least a little bit; the monsters on the duel table were just too distracting really... And lest he appear as insane as he figured he was going right now, it would probably be better to just hold his tongue.
Because seriously, did anyone else see this? Any of this at all?
Back on the board, Yugi had placed one face down card and summoned his Dark Magician, the mage appearing in a swirl of shadows as a large and intricate seal appeared beneath him to herald his appearance. He was in defense mode of course... Rather than the standard 'crouch' that the hologram display was supposed to show however, the magician instead stood with his staff at the ready, eying the Harpy lady with clear distaste. Obviously 'defense' was just a command to the monsters on the board... Whether they crouched down for protection or not was all up to they themselves. Distaste seemed to increase; the Harpy Lady had evidently decided she ought to try and impress her opponent before whipping him to shreds, but all that had happened was the Magician's scowl deepening a fraction.
Which the Harpy Lady of course, found rather insulting, given her absolutely enraged screeches as her actions stopped. They lasted only a moment however, as the bird turned up toward to her master. "It's my turn," she called out, drawing her next card and looking over it with a slight and approving nod. Mai's expression was determined and very much confident as she placed it on the table, the announced title changing the Harpy Lady's demeanor instantly.
As did the Magician's, he noted for a brief moment. "Shadow of Eyes", Mai called out, and almost instantly an aroma more potent than all of the woman's perfumes combined came through the air. Katsuya stiffened as the smell wafted through the room, swallowing as the Dark Magician had a similar reaction. This smell... He couldn't identify it, but something about it had him feeling a lot less depressed and sleepy and a lot more... Pumped than he probably should have. Maybe it was the side of his brain that said quite clearly that the Harpy Lady was... Tiny... That held him back. Maybe it was the fact that he had nothing against Mai or the Harpies to begin with, and the two guys he did have a beef with were either out of reach or in the kind of range that would get him disqualifed... Which he did not want. But that smell was really... Really... God damn it what was it doing! The Dark Magician looked red in the face and ready for anything, twirling his staff and charging the bird without even the aid of his master's command. The Harpy Lady hadn't even done anything just yet, having merely been stroking her dragon's head before turning with a wicked grin. "'Shadow of the Eyes lures the enemy into battle," Mai explained, her Harpy Lady more than pleased at the attention she had regained despite its negativity. "Her battle pheromones stimulate the foe's fighting instincts, drawing them into battle!"
Well, Katsuya thought idly with an awkward cough, watching as the Magician managed to somehow electrocute himself off the 'Mirror Wall' on the field. That was one light way to put it... Looked more like the Dark Magician was trying going to screw magic all together in lieu of skewering the bird with his staff! (And had apparently failed... Terribly.) Battle pheromones... What were pheromones again? Damn it... Who the hell knew anymore, the battle was one thing when it was cards, it was something completely different when they pulled science into it. Back 'above' the board, Mai was getting rid of Yugi's trap, before destroying the Magician... Damn it, how often was he going to fall for that! The blond grit his teeth, before turning as Anzu tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Jonouchi," she asked, the blond frowning.
"Yea," he asked, feeling just slightly agitated about being pulled out of his thoughts. Wait... Why was he mad at Anzu? ...Hell why was he mad about anything! He shouldn't be mad! AAAGH.
The woman frowned, leaning back slightly. "Sorry," she finally said, shaking her head. "You just look a little red... Do you still have that cold?"
Katsuya frowned, blinking a few times. "What..? The cold..?" No... No he wasn't still sick... He definitely wasn't... And if he did, he'd strangle Haga next time he saw him! (...Where the hell did that thought come from...)
She nodded, smiling nervously. "Yea... You're definitely red right now... Might be a fever or..." Anzu shook her head, turning back to the field for a moment and looking back. "Should I get some medicine, maybe some water, you really don't look..." The woman trailed off as Katsuya continued to growl under his breath, shaking her head and turning back to the battle once again. "Nevermind... It's probably nothing."
"W-What's nothing!" Come on, he wasn't red in the face! "I don't have cold damn it!" And he wasn't- ...Why the hell was he getting pissed about this... The blond shook his head, flush clearing up as the smell from the table began to fade. Why the hell was he getting ticked... Katsuya's frown lightened, and he looked back at the duel table where the Harpy Lady was again playing with her pet dragon. 'Battle Pheromones'... No way that was affecting him right... Hell... He'd accept that 'Crush Card' did something, but 'Shadow of the Eyes'? Seriously?
Anzu didn't seem to notice the blond drifting into thought, instead laughing nervously at the last outburst. "Alright then, you don't! Calm down alright..?" Before Katsuya could say anything more on that (Damn it, he wasn't sick!... Stop getting angry.), the woman again frowned and followed her friend's gaze to the board. "This is incredible," she muttered, the blond following her gaze questioningly. Yugi was about as tense in appearance as he had been against Seto, right after the Ultimate Dragon had been summoned... Mai however, was far from easing up, though it was clear that she was becoming more and more agitated despite being 'acknowledged' as a 'real opponent' for the moment. "It's as though she's a million times stronger than when she fought you..." A million? Oh come on, it wasn't that much... Even so...
He swallowed, staring at the board and nodding in agreement. Definitely not a million, but the fact that she was trouncing Yugi so easily was just a little unnerving... "Yea..." He shook off the events on the board itself, turning his attention to his friend with a worried frown. "Oi, Yugi," he shouted, gaining no response. The boy merely stared at the board, frowning as he stared down the opposing monsters. "What's going on?" Even for when he was 'stuck' this was weird... Really, really weird... He wasn't normally this tense! Something seriously had to be up or... Or... "Damn," he muttered, friend still sitting across the table to ponder his move. Or maybe Mai was actually that... "Was it seriously just luck that I beat Mai then..?"
There was a shaken head in response to that, the woman having apparently heard them from the arena. "No," she said plainly, crossing her arms and looking at Katsuya a moment. "You didn't just win through luck Jonouchi- when we fought, I was giving it all I had..." The blond frowned, listening as Mai continued. All she had... Then how.. "The truth is," the woman began, pausing a moment before going on, "When you beat me I was devastated. I tried to deny the fact of course," she said with a sigh, shrugging with a sad smile. "Turn my eyes away from the board, from the fact that I'd lost to a kid who knew next to nothing about the game!" Though Katsuya frowned at that, he kept quiet; she sounded like she was going somewhere on this after all... (But 'next to nothing'? Awww, man...) "Even if I looked away however," the woman continued, turning back to the board as the others listened. "Even long after the duel, and after the duel you had with Ryuzaki, I couldn't get that riddle out of my mind. 'Something you can show, but can't see'... You had me stumped! But when I confronted myself," she stated, nodding slightly to her opponent as she came to her last few words. "My real self... I understood what those words meant. Jonouchi," she called, the blond jumping as Mai suddenly turned on him. "Do you know why you made it this far in the tournament?"
He blinked, nodding. "Eh? I- ... Of course I do! My friends," he shouted, thinking back to the few duels he'd had. He wouldn't have even gotten to the island without Yugi... Wouldn't have made it through his first duel without him, his second without the cards he'd had... And if the others hadn't have shown up while he was in that crypt he'd have been locked inside without even knowing it most likely. "That's how a guy like me made it here! Because I had my friends!" That was why... But... Why did she need to know that..? What was she getting at..?
Mai was simply looking at Yugi as she got her response, nodding in agreement to something that was completely beyond Katsuya. "That's right," she was muttering, eliciting more confusion than anger from the blond in return. What was right, he thought with a frown. What was 'right' about that answer... Seriously... The hell..? "You know your own weakness," she stated, sending a glance his way for a moment. His weakness... "You accept it, and you try to become stronger in order to overcome it... The courage of a 'true duelist'," Mai continued, turning again to Yugi as the boy listened. "That's what your friend taught me, Yugi." Wait... Because he needed to cheat his way in he was- Wait she was on something completely different here. Katsuya's thoughts were cut yet again as the woman continued, Yugi in question staring with a confused and oddly wide-eyed frown. "It's not in 'victory'," she told him, "That a duelist's courage is tested. It's after they lose, despite having done all they could to do otherwise." After they lose..? They continued to stare, still listening as Mai went on. "A strong heart is born only when you are prepared to lose, having accepted your weakness. Yugi," she asked, expression stern and Mai an Anzu both tensing instantly as they thought of the likely answer, "Do you have that courage?"
If Anzu and Yugi were thinking back to the duel against Seto, he wasn't surprised. Not at all... During those last moments, despite a life being on the line, despite the similar goals... Katsuya grit his teeth at the mention, pushing down on the anger that came with the thought. That damn smell from the table just had him raring for a fight... If this didn't finish soon... The blond swallowed, taking a deep and silent breath. Calm down... Yugi had come to grips with what he'd done out there... He had... He didn't feel good about what he'd done out there, he wouldn't do it again... Looking at the table, almost looking for a sign that would reassure him of this, he watched as Yugi's expression of confusion and anger vanished from sight. A sudden look of realization, replaced with a smile... "Mai," the boy stated, the woman in question giving a small nod in response. The boy as well nodded, more out of respect than anything as he held his cards. "I'm glad I got to fight you," he began, drawing his next card. "This is where the real duel begins!"
As Mai chuckled in response, Katsuya watched as his friend looked over his hand to make his play. So the 'real duel' started now huh... Not a moment too soon, he thought with a swallow; Yugi was sitting with 300 lifepoints while Mai herself had remained untouched the entire time! Sure, he himself had been in similar spots but... Well, the fact was, what were the chances of getting out of those situations multiple times in a row? ...Of course, this was Yugi he was talking about... And the boy's confident smirk was once again in place as the card was set down on the field, proving that last thought in particular correct. Mai was tensing as wicked clawed hands appeared in the air, shadowed and severed wrists revealing withered skin and sinews attached to bones that were almost as blue as the skin itself. Hovering in mid air they waved, seemingly calming motions being made above their target's head, motions that far betrayed their clawed and malicious appearance. 'Brain Control'- That was what the card was. And for the next turn, the monster that Yugi would control with those hands was... "...Harpy's Pet Dragon!"
The dragon snarled, as the hands approached, each one beginning their mesmerizing dance around the beast. Gently, carefully they moved, but despite that the dragon still howled, managing to fight against the bonds of the mind control. It stumbled painfully over to the other side of the field, growling and roaring in anger despite the movements of the hands above it. Furious, miserable... The dragon thrashed, the hands still attempting to continue in their calm approach to lead him away to their side of the field Across from it, the Harpy Lady was crossing her arms, pouting at the theft of her 'pet'; it obviously wasn't worried about a possible attack... And given that Mai was merely chuckling at the sight, he had a feeling he was about to find out way. "Sorry Yugi," the woman said with a smile, crossing her arms. "But the dragon is the Harpie's pet, their servant... Even brainwashed, it won't attack her!"
Yugi merely nodded, the smirk unchanging as the dragon stood in place on the opposite side of the field. "Oh I know," he stated, taking another card from his hand as the dragon continued to growl angrily. "I won't be attacking the Harpy though..." As his opponent frowned, the smirk was replaced by Yugi's 'normal' game expression, continuing. "It's still my turn," he stated, placing the card on the table as he grabbed a second. "I'll play this card face down... And I'll also play this! Catapult Turtle!" The card was placed on the table, quickly becoming ingrained with the board before glowing with its usual summoning light. From the card's image came the enormous mechanized being, mouth creaking open as it gave a motorized roar. A solid step foward was taken, forelegs leaving visible craters in the ground before the machine-powered catapult came to rest to prepare for an anticipated launch. "Get ready," Yugi shouted, the hands guiding a still growling dragon over to the catapult's lift. Harpy Lady grew pale at the sight, watching first in silence and then in well voiced rage as the 'Brain Control' hands grabbed the fighting beast and roughly tossed him onto the device with little mercy. The dragon was strapped to the catapult in an instant, giving a pained howl as the same hands guiding him began to push him against the device with as much force as possible. It would do no good if the beast moved during launch after all... The monster was 'called' for action. Attack mode, Yugi had said, Mai's eyes growing wide as her mirror wall trap shimmered in response to the phrase. Against the wall's shining 'glass', the entire boards expressions of horror could be seen, at least by those with faces. Harpy Lady's rage and horror filled cries, joined in by the Dragon's miserable howling... "And right on cue," Yugi continued, "The Mirror wall appears! Launch preparation complete," the boy shouted, the turtle below clicking in agreement. "Three," he called as the dragon's shouts hit the air at a raised pitch, "Two," he continued, Katsuya holding back a wince as the Harpy's screeches grew to an intense and reverberating note around the room. "One," The dragon struggled against his hold, the hands power beginning to wear off at its owners miserable shouts and fading from existence as the end of turn came ever closer. And now... "LIFT OFF!"
A resounding sound of a terrified roar came through the air as the catapult fired, the dragon's body breaking through the shield completely as the cries cut short. Shards of crystalline glass were embedded in the dragon's corpse, its mangled body hanging limply at the edge of the table. Blood wasn't even dropping from the body... It wasn't pumping through the shards that were stuck after all, no matter how mangled the shattered bones rendered it. Harpy Lady gave one final wail as she knelt by its motionless form, before turning to her master's opponent with rage filled eyes. Her pet was gone; all that remained as the dragon's corpse vanished was the chain that had been attached to its collar, the glass as well fading into nonexistence... But with the sounds of rage on the board came Yugi's response to Mai's own words of shock at the attack, and in the end it was a lot easier to focus on the players than the board... Better than ending up nauseous over something only he could see really. "Hnhnhnhnhn... That's right Mai," Yugi was saying with a smirk. "The force of the catapult can break through walls and fortified structures of any kind! But that wasn't my only plan..." As he trailed off, his opponent's attention moved down to the side at her lifepoint counter, followed by the squinting gaze of those at the side. Now what was it about Catapult turtle again, he thought to himself as he watched the counter drop down. Something about the monster's attack and... Oh yea... "When you use Catapult Turtle," Yugi explained, the numbers still dropping. "And fire a monster... Half of that monster's attack points are taken from its owner's life points!" As Mai began to shout in protest, Yugi merely continued, the smirk growing as her counter finally finished. "Half of twenty-three hundred... Which means you lose one thousand, one hundred fifty life points!"
Holy shit... Katsuya stared, before grinning despite the still continuing screeches of anger coming from the Harpy Lady. That one move... 850 points... In one move Mai's points had come to 850... Alright! As Mai herself smirked in response to the play, obviously impressed by the play herself, the teen jumped from his seat with a shout. "ALRIGHT! YEAA!" The shouts echoed around the room, soon joined in by Anzu from beside him. "Go for it Yugi! You can still make a comeback!" The grin grew, and as he and Anzu sat back down their friend gave one curt and determined nod before going back to the duel.
"This is great," Anzu said with a grin, glancing at Katsuya for a moment as she continued to grin. "He's completely lost his impatience from before... He's not doubting himself, he's actually into it!"
Katsuya's grin still remained in place, and he nodded as well. "Haha! 'Course he is," he said with a smirk, crossing his arms. "It'd take more than this t' bring 'm down... There's no way he'll lose!" Definitely not! The turn around had effectively happened right then... Even with that 'Shadow of the Eyes' card, and that mirror, he was still making headway again. One move... It only took one move..!
As they both turned back to the field, the 'noise' from the last attack had died down. Though clearly still grief-stricken with rage the Harpy's cries had quieted, the bird merely sending a piercing gaze toward . Mai was staring at her opponent's face down card, fingering her hand as Yugi narrowed his eyes from across her. 'Attack me,' he seemed to be saying, his eyes narrowing in the silent dare. 'Go on... Do it!' Even the Harpy Lady was shrinking back under the gaze... Halting in her original, flaunting strut to turn nervously to her master. In the end, Mai merely narrowed her eyes, appearing to glance quickly at the board before looking back up to study her opponent's expression. More silence... Finally she smirked, taking one of her cards. "Well," she decided, placing it on the board. "I won't attack this time... I can still hold the advantage if I do that after all..." She chuckled, shaking her head. "No sense in risking that card of yours!" While Yugi merely held his confident stare, the woman continued to speak, her card already beginning to take effect on the field. "Instead, I'll play this... The Kaleidoscope!" Ohhhh fuck, the exact card that she couldn't attack after using to begin with. Shit. In a flurry of light and feathers the Harpy Lady's body began to pulse unnaturally, the kaleidoscope light filling the field before spiraling into a circle about her. Her reflected image divided, shifted... And as the light cleared there stood two others of her kind beside her, each just as scantily clad and armed as the other. As the three sisters screeched with the idea of vengeance, whips cracking threateningly across the ground their owner grinned. One Harpy was easy to over power... But with three... "HAHAHAHA! Are you ready Yugi? On my next turn, you'll experience the Harem of Hell!"
W-What... He blinked, staring at the table a moment. H-Harem? ...Seriously..? Katsuya groaned, slamming the back his head against the wall to the raised eyebrows of the woman beside him. "Oh god... An' here I thought it couldn't get worse..." If Yugi lost... He was so screwed over in the finals...
Anzu snorted, shaking her head before their attention was drawn back to the board. "Is that your turn," Yugi was asking, almost hesitantly. The field went silent... And Mai nodded, her opponent's smirk re-appearing in response. "Well then... I'm sorry Mai but," he said, flipping over his card. "I would have lost if you attacked me... You see," Yugi continued, "My face down card is 'Monster Recovery'." Monster Recovery... Shit what did that one do again? As Mai stared, eyes wide with apparent recognition for the card's ability the boy placed it back on the table and moved his hand toward his deck. "You missed your chance of winning," he stated 'matter-of-factly', his card appearing momentarily in the form of a glowing 'tablet' on the field. "I now activate 'Monster Recovery'; by returning my monsters to my deck, I can shuffle it and draw five new cards!" And since Yugi had next to no cards in his hand now...
The cards were removed from the field, Catapult Turtle vanishing in a swift gust of wind and vanishing metal while the 'stone card' that appeared in 'Monster Recovery's stead ground itself to dust. The deck was shuffled swiftly, almost impatiently before the new cards were drawn. As Yugi looked over his new hand however, Mai merely smirked, watching as her opponent's expression fell short. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Worried," she asked, arms crossed as Yugi merely continued to stare at his hand. "The Harpy Ladies' attack deals 2700 points of damage... And with the Shadow of the Eyes pheromone, any monster you put into play will be finished!" Ahhhhh crap...
With those words Yugi grimaced, the hand holding his cards shaking for a slight moment. Mai's words were true after all... But all the same! "Come on Yugi," Anzu shouted from the side, cupping her hands. "You can't give up now! You've got a way out!"
Katsuya nodded, also cupping his hands to continue shouting. "Yea Yugi! Hang in there! You can't just let those bondage monsters have their way with yah!" They were creepy enough as it was! Like that one tape he and Yugi had borrowed from his grandpa and...Awww hell they were looking at him now! He swallowed, attempting to ignore the now extremely loud screeches of indigence aimed his way from the board, instead focusing on the ones playing it
Their friend turned, a wide eyed stare sent their way in an instant before turning back to his cards. The boy clenched his jaw, pulling one of his cards from his hand and frowning for a moment before nodding to himself. "Mai," he called, the woman merely crossing her arms as Yugi placed it on the board. "I'll play the Mystical Elf, in defense mode!"
"It's over regardless," Mai stated calmly, moving her eyes to the board with a small smirk. As the monster was summoned into existence, the Harpies scowled, all three turning on the newcomer with narrowed eyes. "Shadow of the Eyes wi-" She froze, the same sight that had Katsuya grinning leaving the woman tense. The monster Yugi had played was female after all... And... That was how these chemical things worked right? (Damn it, he was paying more attention in class after this!)
Yugi smirked, arms crossed. "Hn! The 'Shadow of the Eyes' card was intended to 'aggravate' opposing monsters correct?" At the small silence he got in response, the smirk grew. "I thought I'd take the chance," he continued, the smirk growing with his opponent's frown, "That those same 'pheromones' created by the card would be less effective on the women as opposed to men!" The boy leaned back on his chair, before continuing. "My turn is over..."
"Alright," Katsuya said, crossing his arms with a grin. "He's made it through this turn..." The grin quickly vanished however, and he swallowed as he realized what would happen next. "...I... I don' think Yugi has any more girl monsters though..."
Anzu as well swallowed, her eyes not moving from the board while she nodded. "I think you're right... Even if he does, it's not many, he'd have to draw it his next turn... Mystical Elf won't last more than one round with the Harpies against her..." On the field, the elf in question appeared to respond to this, turning to them both from her kneeling position with a calm smile; her hands were folded before her in prayer, and though the Harpy Ladies were clearly sneering at her the elf merely bowed her head, uncaring of the shouts around her. Turning to them, she merely shook her head... As if to say she was fine with what was awaiting her.
Across from Yugi, Mai was biting her lip, apparently not pleased that she'd missed her initial shot at a win. In the end however, she appeared to get over it, merely shaking her head. "My you're tenacious," she muttered, drawing her card before smirking after a glance at the image. "But your struggles are going to have to come to an end with this turn," she continued, placing the card on the field and crossing her arms once more. "First," she stated, a large glowing green ankh appearing above her side of the field with the card's magic, "I'll use this card to bring back one monster... The Harpy's pet dragon!" The light burned into the ground, creating a burst of energy that blocked the side of the field from view. A menacing snarl was released, the ankh and light both vanishing in a roar of flames. Katsuya swallowed as the dragon appeared to grow slightly with its rebirth, the harpies cackling at their reborn pet; and given that it was powered by the number of harpies on the field, he wasn't surprised that Yugi was also grimacing slightly. "And now," Mai shouted after announcing this fact to her opponent, eyes narrowing. "For my next attack... Harpy Ladies," she cried, the three birds arranging themselves in a triangle formation in the air within moments. "TRIANGLE ECSTASY SPARK!" Ordinarily he would have smacked his head on the wall again but... Ignoring the once again obvious... Implications of the attack... (Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it... At all.)
The elf was still smiling with that attack. A calm and peaceful smile that lasted as long as there were muscles to hold it in place. Three orbs of acid green energy had been charged between the three Harpy Ladies, each held between their clawed hands and creating a large triangle as the attack stated. A beam gathered in the center of the triangle, growing larger and larger as its intended target closed her eyes... And finally the beam shot forward to strike the Mystic Elf head on. The elf merely held her hands forward in the blast as it struck, green light bathing the field and vanishing as it passed the border of the table. She merely sat there, without making a single sound, even when all that Katsuya could see in the light was her skeleton as it held against the blast for a brief moment... Before joining everything else in a pile of ash, as Mai had ironically said she was burnt to. Gh... "Yugi," he shouted, the boy merely staring at the board with wide eyes. Shit... This was it...
"Now," Mai was shouting as they stared, the side of Yugi's field once again completely clear. "It's your last turn... Get ready!" Last turn, last draw... He swallowed, leaning back against the wall and staring at the table. Everything relied on this one draw... As Yugi stared at his deck, likely with the same thing in mind, the woman across from him was bringing her arms to her lap. "By the way," she said, her smile fading slightly. "Don't worry about the final match... I'll definitely win, regardless of what you or the others believe; I even have an idea of what to do with the prize money," she added offhand, glancing at Katsuya briefly before the blond could shout against the words. What... Hang on... Why was she looking at him when she said that? "Now then," the woman continued, before Yugi's shout interrupted her.
The card was placed on the table in the same instant of the shout, the boy's face set with determination. He'd drawn his card, having only stopped momentarily to let his opponent speak; and now... "Swords of Revealing Light!"
Three golden blades for each monster appeared on the field, shooting downward from the sky to create a completely impenetrable barrier between sides. The blinding light filled the field, monsters caught within reeling back to cover their eyes. "Hah...HAHA! YEA! GO YUGI!" There was still a chance! This was the same card that turned his duel at Death-T around after all... It couldn't fail! As Yugi and Mai both continued to trade words, the grin grew. "He's still got a clean shot," he said, pumping his fist. "Yes!"
"Even so," Anzu said with a slight frown, Katsuya turning as she continued. "Mai's monsters are still pretty powerful... He's going to have to tread lightly here..."
The blond shrugged, still grinning. "Ehhhh... Three turns Anzu," he said, the smile shifting into a smirk. "With Yugi, three turns is all it takes!" He turned back to the duel, grin widening as he stood to shout again. "YOU WIN THIS F'R EVERYONE YUG'!"
Anzu smiled, laughing as the loud cheer was responded to with a stern nod. The blond sat back down, and she shook her head. "Save your energy for your own duel alright..?"
"Hah!" Katsuya snorted, smirk fixed in place as he crossed his arms. "Like I'll run outta energy f'r somethin' like that!"
The woman rolled her eyes, giving a mock sigh as they turned back to the board. "Well," Mai was saying, giving her opponent an approving nod as the swords glowed softly. "Drawing the swords at the very end..." She shook her head, chuckling as she crossed her arms. "Three turns then Yugi! We'll just have to see if these swords are a light of hope, or merely the last sparks of your defense!" Leaning back against her chair as the boy looked over her hand, she waved her opponent on, still smiling. "Go on now... You don't have any monsters," she stated, crossing her arms once more. "Play one!"
Yugi nodded, taking one of his cards. "Of course," he said, placing the card on the table. "I'll play this, and end my turn." The card merged with the ground on contact, as did all the others before it; and upon its image misted the familiar small ball of fur from the fight against Seto, Kuriboh shaking itself before looking across the board with a small 'kurii' sound. Kuriboh..? Wait- Katsuya blinked, remembering the effect it had used in its last fight; when destroyed in battle, no damage was given... Which meant that if Yugi came up with nothing in the next three turns, he'd still have at least one more!
...Poor Kuriboh...
Across from her opponent, Mai appeared to completely miss that ability, staring at the fuzz ball questioningly before holding back a humored grin. "What the," Mai was saying, stiffing a laugh. "What is this little... Gn... HAHAHHAA! AHAHA... Oh..." She held her head, and as Kuriboh began to do what Katsuya could at best call 'mini-shadow boxing' in front of the swords, the woman shook her head. "Oh boy... Such a tiny little monster but he's getting all riled up with the Harpies' pheromones..." Her expression abruptly went more severe, the woman frowning as she stared her opponent down. "Yugi," she asked, her harpies currently staring down the Kuriboh with mixed glee and confusion. (Did he hear 'kawaii'? ...Nooo... That couldn't be it... Definitely not it... ) "Are you sure you want to play that? Once the swords are gone," she stated, still frowning as she looked across the board, "He's dead in one shot!"
The boy merely nodded again, crossing his arms and holding his 'standard' expression. "Out of the thousands of cards I could have chosen," he stated, Kuriboh briefly breaking from his 'boxing' to turn to his master with wide eyes, "I believed in this one. That's why I put it in my deck," he continued, still facing his opponent with a seemingly neutral frown. Kuriboh appeared to beam at the words, turning back to his 'shadow boxing' with renewed vigor while his master continued. "It's a piece of the puzzle... The puzzle to victory."
For a moment, Mai merely stared at the boy with a frown, eyes narrowed. The puzzle to victory..? Briefly, she appeared to think about asking something. In the end however, she shook her head, shaking it off. "Well," she finally said, shrugging. "I don't think I'll ever understand you really, putting a card this weak in your deck... But either way," the woman continued, reaching for her deck to draw her card. "We move on! I'll draw one card and end my turn," she stated, adding the card to her hand. There wasn't much else she could do after all, with the swords in play. "Two turns left," Mai reminded the boy, Katsuya merely watching as a few of the swords vanished from sight. The blades ground themselves into a fine gold powder that rose up into the air, vanishing from sight and leaving one of the Harpies room to stare at Kuriboh. "And when that happens, your loss will be guaranteed!"
Eyes narrowed, the boy merely reached for his next draw. "It's my turn," he said, giving no real reaction to the words other than that glare. "And I play this- the monster reborn!" The spell appeared on the card, a second ankh arising to the air to shine its light on the field. Green light bathed the field once more, and to the side of Kuriboh it began to take form. "Gaia the Fierce Knight," Yugi called, the light misting into a solid and moving figure before Katsuya's eyes. A horse began to whinny, a knight appearing on its saddle... The light began to clear, the ankh vanishing into nothingness. "Arise from your grave!" As the steed pawed at the ground, Gaia gripped his weapons tightly, dual armed rider glaring at the Harpies as he and his horse both took their place in the middle of Yugi's field.
It was obvious, however, that it was not where he wanted to be for the moment. Gaia made no move to hide his rage for the creatures that had killed him prior, and for all it was, Katsuya couldn't blame the knight; though his horse remained in place, the man was clearly wanting nothing more than for the swords to move from between the battling sides, so as to make room for his own twin lances. "Hnn," Mai was muttering, staring at the knight with evident suspicion. "Stronger than Kuriboh," she admitted, the puff ball bristling at the words, "But it's still not enough to face the dragon," she continued. "Your futile last stand ends in just one more turn Yugi..!" Oh really?
"Hah," Katsuya said with a grin, the woman turning with a raised eyebrow. Something he saw there... Not just on the board, but in his friend... "That's what you think Mai!" As the monsters on the board continued about their business the blond's grin widened, Katsuya continuing on. "Yugi's gotta plan," he said almost dangerously, arms crossed. "You can see it in his eyes..!"
Beside him Anzu nodded, a similar expression in place. Nothing wrong with turning the emotional tables after all! "That's right," she stated, appearing just as confident as Katsuya's and Yugi's both. "This move won't be it for him... Trust me!"
Mai merely ignored them both, shrugging as she turned her attention back to the board and her harpies both. "It's my turn," she called out, drawing her card. Looking at it the woman's expression brightened considerably, Mai even sending a wink across to a tensing Yugi. A wink..? Shit that wasn't good... "Get ready," she said with a smirk, folding her hand before crossing her arms. "It's all or nothing, and it's your turn..."
At those words Yugi had stiffened considerably, before staring at his deck in an almost spaced-out fashion. She was right on one thing, this was the last shot that Yugi had... With Gaia on the board, the Harpies' dragon could just attack him rather than bothering with Kuriboh; and with that, Yugi would lose. All or nothing for this... The boy drew his card, and in the instant he looked at it his expression shifted. It was only a fraction of a second... His eyes widened, and with a neutral stare he made his play. "I'll play one card face down," he stated, before taking another monster from his hand to do the same. "Then I play Griffor... And end my turn!"
Griffor..! The bear-like monster misted into existence, thick gold shell appearing to protect the monster. Katsuya swallowed, watching as Mai stared at the board in confusion before chuckling. The last move had passed... If Yugi didn't make his final move he was screwed... There had to be some reason why he'd done all that though, maybe the face down card... "Now Yugi," the woman called as the swords vanished into nothingness from the board. Instantly the sounds of monsters shouting at the other could be heard, the harpies screeching threateningly as their dragon growled at the monsters across, Griffor, Kuriboh, and Gaia's horse all sending their own threats back. Gold dust flew through the air, but though the shouts were deafening it wasn't so much that he couldn't hear the duelists themselves. "This is it," Mai shouted, drawing her card and preparing to make her play. "Show me what your three turns bought!"
"What I bought," Yugi repeated, smirking in response. On the board the monsters were sending constant glances to the blank stone 'tablet' that had appeared in the face down card's place, before turning back on the harpies with wicked grins to match. "I bought all the pieces to my puzzle... That's what I 'bought'," the boy stated, Mai and the crowd both tensing with the words. "I reveal my spell card," he shouted, Katsuya watching as an immense throne and crest appeared behind Gaia from the 'tablet'. The stone ground itself to dust, forming a 'stage' of sorts beneath Gaia and his horse while the knight looked upon his opponents with a deadly smirk. "The Black Luster Ritual!" As Mai tensed further, two altars appeared beneath Kuriboh and Griffor, the two monsters sending each other a glance before 'nodding' to themselves. The altars rose to almost the same height of the horse, all three of the beasts turning their attention back to their opponents. "Now," Yugi cried, the harpies below watching in confused silence as an odd energy began to seep from the altars and the crest both. "The Dark Ritual begins... I offer two monsters as a tribute," he continued, the altars bursting into flames and enveloping both monsters within. "One soul to the light," he began, Kuriboh going up in a bright white blaze, "One soul to the darkness..." Black sparks surrounded Griffor, the monsters both making no sounds as they vanished in the fire. The flames rose, smoke spiralling forward to create an enormous tunnel that rose to the air above Gaia and the field both. The Harpies continued to stare, as did the knight himself, Gaia lowering his head in wait as his master continued the ritual. "Between Light and Darkness," Yugi stated clearly, the vortex on the field spinning into a mix of dark violets and blinding golden light, "The gateway to Chaos is opened..! Now charge Gaia," he ordered, the knight's head jerking upward to face the tunnel. "Charge into the black pits of change and let it suffuse you! Be granted absolute power!" Whether the words were over the top in the others eyes or not, Katsuya wasn't sure. The knight galloped through the tunnel, blinding light and shadows swirling around the knight as the horse vanished from sight completely. Leaping in the air from the back of his steed as it misted from existence in the shadows and light, Gaia changed... As he ran his armor darkened, thickening as his lances became a sword and a shield. His helmet lowered, hiding most of his face from view as his hair gathered into one long ponytail that came from the helmet just as his body itself changed in size. With one graceful move the knight kicked off from the end of the tunnel, landing on the ground as the crest, altars, and tunnel both vanished from sight. The knight looked forward, eyes hidden by the helmet but clearly cold given the sudden shiver from Mai's harpies. The ritual was over... "BLACK LUSTER SOLDIER!"
As his opponent continued to tense, Yugi faced the woman with a severe and merciless stare. "Now I'm ready," he stated loudly, the monsters on Mai's side of the field stepping back with wide eyes as Black Luster Soldier stood from his kneeling position to grip his sword. "CHAOS BLADE!"
A single hit was all it took. The luster soldier mind as well have not moved at all for the speed he used, charging the dragon before him and slicing its head clean from its shoulders within the span of a few seconds. A black blur was all the knight was, and for a brief moment the dragon stood stock still... And then its head toppled to the ground, tongue lolling out of its limp mouth as its body twitched and jerked. Again the Harpies cries filled the air, all three screeching not of anger but fear as the knight who be-headed their large pet stared them down from Yugi's side once more. The pet dragon had taken a single step forward before collapsing to the ground, blood pooling around the severed neck from cleanly sliced veins as the heart beat just once more before stopping. "Whoa," Katsuya found himself muttering, half asking the monster on the field and half asking Yugi himself. The soldier had merely sheathed his blade, turning to stare at the Harpies from across the field with narrowed eyes as its future targets cried. "Where th' hell did that come from..."
The harpies were panicking... Loud and wailing cries filled the air as they gathered by their fallen pet's head, whips dropped to the ground. All three turned toward Mai from the dragon's corpse, tears running down their faces as they huddled together behind the dragon in a futile attempt to hide. 'Kowai', they screeched, Mai looking at her card for a moment before staring at the field with what looked to be a mix of grief and defeat both. They stared upward, not a single one turning away as they continued to scream. 'Kowai!'
Strange... Katsuya frowned, watching as the woman's eyes shifted from the locations that the Harpies huddled in, as opposed to that of the their cards positioning. The center of the board, where their dragon had fallen... At least two hand-lengths away from the edge, where the cards sat. It was strange... It was as if she could see- Mai's hand was placed calmly on her deck, the crowd staring as she turned her gaze downard for a moment. No draw... It was just there, resting on the deck. The sign of defeat... "I don't want to see my harpies injured," she stated clearly after a few moments of silence from her harpies, her monsters looking up with grateful eyes. With a shot of light the monsters returned to the deck as opposed to misting out of existence, the dragon's body as well vanishing, along with their whips. Katsuya stared as the woman gathered her cards, placing them back on her deck. They hadn't even been taken from the field, the cards were still there and yet... A few moments later, the board cleared completely, monsters gone with no reason to fight any longer and Mai giving her opponent a sad smile. "I lose Yugi... Congratulations."
"...Mai," Yugi began, before also gathering his cards back together. "...Thank you." As the woman blinked, turning on the boy in surprise Yugi continued, nodding slightly. "You made me realize what I was about to lose sight of," he stated, frowning as he stood. "What I can show, but cannot see..."
The woman stared, before smiling yet again with the renewal of the riddle. "Yugi," she stated, pocketing her deck and moving from the board. "You need to know... There's no such thing as an invincible duelist. Everyone has some weakness in their hearts, and everyone knows it," she continued matter-of-factly, briefly glancing to those at the side before going on. "They just try to cover it up... 'What you can show but cannot see,'" Mai said, turning to leave the room and walking out of the arena. "Everyone tries to put up a bold cover, a strong front but that in itself can be a weakness... Yugi," she said with a slight frown, turning back from where she was walking toward the door. "There are two ways of losing... There is the loss where everything truly comes to an end," she stated, hands held firmly at her sides, "And then there is the one which merely paves a step on the path to victory. I will become stronger from this loss," the woman continued with a nod, eyes narrowing with determination. "And I'll reach my dream... Just as you will reach yours, understand?"
Yugi nodded, smirking as Mai continued off to leave yet again. As the woman left the door, Yugi's last word could be heard. "Right," he said, standing up to pocket his deck once more. From the sides Anzu and Katsuya charged toward the arena, grins on their faces as their friend turned their way. 'The winner is Mutou Yugi,' the announcer from the side had called, 'Crocketts' continuing on. 'He advances to the final match!'
"ALRIGHT!" The two ran forward as Yugi stepped off the stage, Katsuya grinning widely. "Nice job man! We're half-way there!" Now he had to win his match, and they'd be set..!
Anzu as well held a grin, hands again held at her side. "I was worried for a while there," she said, Yugi turning to her as the woman continued. "You seemed pretty tense..."
"We knew you could do it though," Katsuya added, hands in his pockets. "No matter what happened, we knew you'd pull through!"
The boy nodded in response, smiling. "Yea," he said somewhat hesitantly, crossing his arms. "Barely though..." ...He had a point, that was literally a skin-of-the-teeth moment there...
Before the others could answer to that, the sound of solitary clapping came from above. The group turned as Pegasus stood from his chair, the small applause eliciting a scowl from the crowd as opposed to the usual reaction of cheer. "Congratulations Yugi-boy," the man said as he took his seat once more. His guards as well gave subtle nods in response, having also enjoyed the match it would seem. "Good work..! Now..." Pegasus sent a small look down to Crocketts, the man nodding as he stepped forward.
"We will now hold the second duel of the semi-final match," the man called out, bringing a single hand forward to gesture to the stage. At those words Keith moved from the side, stretching slightly before moving forward with a smirk. "Will the duelists Howard Keith and Jonouchi Katsuya please step forward!"
The blond tensed as Yugi turned, the boy giving him a nod. Alright... He had to win this..! "It's time," his friend stated, giving a small nod. "Good luck Jonouchi," he said calmly, moving back to take a seat at the side with Anzu.
Time... "Y-Yeah..." He swallowed, pulling out his deck and walking toward the arena. While he did this, Honda would still be looking around for Seto and Mokuba... Possibly with Bakura's help, though that was probably a long shot... "Here goes then..." Katsuya sighed, taking a deep breath before watching as Keith tossed his feet on the board and kicked back. "What th..." He stared, expression of nervousness quickly replaced with a dumbfounded rage. "OI," he shouted, narrowing his eyes and coming into the arena with a growl. "Get yer feet of th' table!"
"Hn?" The American blinked, arms crossed as he looked back at the teen only to roll his eyes. "Hah! A little baby like you, going to play with me?" A wheezing laugh came over the board, Keith's target narrowing his eyes further as he grew red. Baby? Just wait for it pal... "You really think that a kid like you can beat 'Bandit Keith'..?"
Tch... Nothing but dirty boots on the table and an attitude to match... He couldn't wait to see this guy's face when he lost! "I don' like seein' th' crap on anyone's boots," he growled, holding his anger in place for at least the moment. He said he would duel, and he would do just that... Nothing more, nothing more... His eyes narrowed even more, resembling little more than slits as he clenched his fists. "But yer about as good as th' dogshit you're puttin' on th' table!"
Keith merely laughed, fingering a single card in his hands. "Hahaha! Bottom of my boots ah?" More laughter, the man shaking his head before bringing his shades down to level a narrowed stare to his 'opponent'. "Well whatdya say then 'Joey', how about you lick it off and I'll forfeit the duel!"
Gh! Alright, screw what he'd said before! "Why you-"
"Bandit Keith," Yugi called from the side, arms crossed as he glared. Katsuya froze, turning as well for a moment to listen. "Get your feet off the table... That board is a Duelist's battlefield, not something for you to disgrace so calmly!"
While Yugi seethed however, Keith merely chuckled, much to the others distaste. "Heheheh... Sure it's a battlefield," he called, ignoring the reason why Yugi had called it such in the first place. "But does your pansy-ass friend here have the right to be called a duelist?"
Again Katsuya tensed, turning back and gritting his teeth as Keith flipped his card around to reveal it as an 'Honor of the King's Right' card. "Gh... What did you say..."
Keith smirked, placing his card on the table before moving his arms behind his head. "Remember that," he asked sarcastically, adjusting his legs on the table. "It's the card you need to participate in the tournament..." The card, there were two damn it... "And I'm sure that you need this card to sit at the table too, right... 'Joey'?"
"Tch! My name ain't 'Joey' yah creep," he muttered as he dug into his pockets. Keith's harsh laughter continued to rasp around the room, Katsuya unbuttoning his other pockets to search those as well. "And I've got one of those cards too!" The exact same one actually, he thought with a frown. But really, if every real competitor had had one, he wasn't surprised that Keith had snatched one... Now where was it... He dug further into the jacket, frowning as nothing met his finger tips save dust and lint. What the.. "Oh fuck..." He ripped his jacket off, digging into the pockets fruitlessly as Anzu and Yugi both moved over from the side with frowns. "Sh-Shit! Where the hell is it!"
Yugi and Anzu both watched as the blond continued to mangle the jacket, sharing glances for a short moment. "You didn't lose the card did you," the taller of the two was saying, a frown on her face. Beside her, Yugi was nodding, apparently having thought the same thing.
He swallowed, looking over at them with wide eyes. "No, I..." He winced, slamming his face into the jacket in his hands with a groan. "Damn it, I was positive it was in my jacket pocket!"
Still leaning on his chair, Keith howled with laughter before turning to the suit at the side. "Hey you," he shouted, grinning wickedly as Crocketts looked up from his watch. "No card... That means he can't duel right?" As the man nodded ('That is correct...'), he continued to laugh, shaking his head before sending a leer toward Katsuya. "Well damn! Looks like you're about to be disqualified then... Heheheheheh..."
The blond tensed, shaking his head as he brought the jacket down to his sides. "Now hang on jus' a second! I know it's here somewhere..!" He couldn't lose like this..! He had to at least get as far as he could on his own ability, he couldn't just lose his card and...
The laughing continued, Keith tapping his head with the Honor card as he grabbed it from the table. "Well you're shit-outta-luck kid! This game is mine and I didn't do a damn thing! HAHAHA!"
Awful confident about that fact, Bandit Keith... Why did he have a feeling he knew why he was outside his room now? Damn it... "Jonouchi," Yugi called from the side, frowning as the blond turned to him. "Did you drop the card at all?"
He stared, before nodding slowly. Dropped it... He didn't think so but... "Maybe," he decided, frowning as he stared at the ground in thought for a moment. "I just threw th' jacket on th' floor las' night, so... Shit," he muttered, turning to the door. It must have fallen out when he did that... Which meant... "I must've left it in my room!" Katsuya bolted, pushing the doors open as he threw his jacket back on. "You guys stay here," he shouted, jamming his arms through the sleeves and turning back just a moment. "I'm gonna get my card, jus' hang on for a-"
"Five minutes," the man from the side said, Katsuya freezing in place. What... The blond turned, eyes wide as Crocketts held out a flat hand before tapping his watch. "In the event you cannot present the card in five minutes," he continued, expression unreadable behind the sunglasses, "You will be disqualified!"
Katsuya swallowed, before looking back at the door. Oh crap..! "Five min-"
Anzu reeled on the guard, glaring. "That's not fair," she shouted, fists clenched as she voiced the same thoughts Katsuya had held for a moment. "He can't even get to his room and back in that amount of time!"
The man merely shook his head, hand back to his side. "Well unfortunately," he said with a frown, likely more for the ignorance to instructions than with pity, "Those are the rules. Five minutes, starting the moment you leave that door," the announcer stated yet again, Katsuya standing by the open door and swallowing. Shit... Shit... "That's all you have."
Shit..! He didn't have enough time to- "Give him ten minutes," came a voice from above, Katsuya swallowing as he looked up at Pegasus yet again. What was this... Mercy, pity? A way to say 'even if you win you're screwed completely?' As the guard stared upward in confusion, Pegasus merely smirked, golden eye gleaming even from behind his hair. "Better to give our young duelist a fair chance after all, wouldn't you say~" Fair chance... Though the words and expression seemed to initially be filled with careless mirth, Katsuya felt himself grow cold with the stare. A voice... Somehow, in the back of his mind he could hear...
'I know you have it...'
He snapped himself from his thoughts, the announcer's now re-established time of 'ten minutes' echoing through his head as he bolted from the room. Don't pay the voice any mind... The clock was ticking, he needed to move! Ten minutes... Ten minutes, and his room was on the other damn side of the building! Damn it... Katsuya grit his teeth, mentally recalling the route he and the others had taken to get there. Damn it! He bolted past the halls, vases of every flower known to man blurring beside him. Roses, daffodils, lillies, damn it stop paying attention to those, he told himself with a snarl, paying the nearby vase of snapdragons no mind as he continued to run. Briefly he thought he saw a shadow on the side, but he ignored it... Just a shadow, probably nothing... Another moment more and he'd burst through the next hall door, coming to the five rooms that he and the others had used the night before. He couldn't stop... He'd come this far...
He couldn't give up now! The door to his room was thrown open, Katsuya searching the area in a complete frenzy. The blanket was ripped from the bed, sheets following after. The pillow and case were both searched, floor scoured as he crawled beneath the bed for even a hint of the card. Where... Where! Not on the bed... Not in the bed either, nor was it on the floor. The card wasn't anywhere in his deck, wasn't in the side table, wasn't in the bathroom, wasn't by the coat rack...
Wide eyes looked over the room, the sight now reminiscent of what his old apartment looked like after his father had a late night. Tattered, shredded... And completely hopeless"No... No no NO! AUGH!" It wasn't here! Katsuya turned his eyes from the sight, panicked gaze moving back to where he'd come from. It wasn't there..! He ran from the room, racing to get back to the duel arena. He still had a time limit... He wouldn't run but... The blond grit his teeth, wincing as he again passed vase after vase and dozens of portraits in a blur. There had to be a way... Some way to make it through, he... ...He...
"Gah-hah... Hah... Hah..." Katsuya's pace slowed as he made his way back through the hall, hand on the wall just moments before collapsing to his knees. "Hah... D... Damn it," he muttered under his breath, hand still brushing against the side of the wall as he sat there. He'd come this far... He'd won those matches, and even if it was just luck... Just luck... Damn it..! 'Did you ever think,' he recalled Honda saying, back in the crypt-caverns of Mei and Kyuu's labyrinth. 'That since you came to this island you were wasting the rest of your life's luck?' But that couldn't be it... Life wouldn't be that terrible, it wouldn't... "Damn it... Damn it!" The blond pounded a fist against the side of the wall, shaking as he bowed his head. The resounding thud was answered in silence, and his hand fell to the ground softly as tears followed after. "I'm sorry," he muttered under his breath, oblivious to the sound of soft footsteps behind him. "I'm sorry... Mokuba, Seto-chan... I couldn't-" He gripped his head, screaming as his eyes continued water. Hopeless... He'd come so far and now... "DAMN IT! Why... WHY!" Fingers dug into his head, clutching his hair tightly as he continued to rage to no one but himself. "How the hell could I be such an idiot! How could I... I..." Grip slackening his hands fell to the ground as his head followed in misery, before a voice came from behind.
"Stand up, Jonouchi." The blond tensed, head raising just slightly. Mai's familiar voice had sounded over the room, and given the lack of anything else she was probably just standing there. Silence... A few seconds of time passed, and again Mai shouted at him. "I said STAND UP!" He turned his head, gritting his teeth at the woman's seeming scowl. What was she doing here... Why... "Save your tears for if you lose the duel," she said with a growl, her target merely turning away in response.
"Gh..." Always... Ever since they got to this island... What the hell was with Mai and following them... "Don't look at me," he bit out, wiping his eyes and pulling himself up to his knees. He wasn't in the mood to be laughed at... Don't look at him...
The woman behind him merely huffed, walking around to kneel down herself. "Hmp," she snorted, ignoring the confused frown that Katsuya was giving and continuing. "If you don't want to be seen, don't collapse outside my bedroom!" Bedroom? Katsuya wiped his face again, still red and tear-stained as Mai handed him something. "Here," she said quietly, the teen taking the handkerchief with a light frown as he sat up more. "Use this for your face alright..."
What... He stood up, looking at the fabric before staring at Mai. "This..." The blond held the folded handkerchief, looking at it a moment before turning back. "It's already..." Mai smiled, shaking her head with the same sad smile in place.
This was... Already wet... "Anzu told me about Mokuba," she said quietly, turning away from the blond. Yea... She'd told him that... Before he could say he already knew however, she continued on. "But that's not the only reason I want you to fight... She's very good with her disguise," the woman said with a light smirk, her eyes betraying the emotion far too much to fool Katsuya for the moment. She- Wait... "But I know a woman's face when I see one..." What... As Katsuya frowned, looking to Mai with narrowed eyes, the woman went still on. "Jonouchi," she said, shouldering the bag and jacket she had grabbed from her room with a small sigh. "I might not know much about this 'Seto-chan' of yours," she began, Katsuya groing tense as he realized just who she was talking about. "But you shouldn't give up on your goals so easily..." He stared, eyes wide as the woman began to walk away in the opposite direction. 'Seto-chan'... She... She knew that she was a... How did she... "Those tears you shed for your friends," she asked, Katsuya staring in silence as the woman again stopped walking for a brief moment. "For 'Mokuba' and his sister... I hope it shines with the same light I saw on the field against Yugi."
She knew... But how did she find out that... Katsuya frowned as he tightened his grip on the cloth in his hand, feeling something stiff along the side. There was something in this handkerchief... Something flat... The blond looked back down at it, slowly unfolding the covers. Eyes narrowed, before widening again as the familiar image of a pile of gold on a card met his face. "Th' Honor of th' King's Right..." He turned back to Mai, eyes wide as the woman stopped in her tracks. "This is th' qualification card..."
Mai gave a sad shrug, turning her head back to face the teen. "I don't need it anymore," she stated plainly, shaking her head with a small smile. "And if I heard right, then you sister has a better use for that money than I do... I'll manage without, like I did before."
"Mai..." He stared, shaking his head. "You..." She knew about that as well..? "Why did y' do this for me..."
She blinked, before shrugging yet again. "Why," she asked, before shaking her head. "Because we're friends, you moron!" Friends... The woman jerked her head down the hall, shaking her head once more as the smile grew. "Now get going," she shouted, adjusting her bag yet again as she moved back toward her room. "You have a duel to win, there's no time to talk!" As he stared for a few more moments with wide eyes, Mai again gestured down the hall. "Go on," she continued, Katsuya gripping the card tight in his hands with the handkerchief. Mai rolled her eyes, turning around "Run!" He tensed, before nodding. Right... Ten minutes ten minutes... "And Jonouchi," the woman shouted, Katsuya briefly pausing in his charge back through the hall. They stared a few moments, before Mai finally smirked and gave him a wink. "You better win, 'boy'..."
He nodded, turning again with the card gripped tightly in his hands. "I will," he shouted, charging back down the hall as fast as possible. Friends... That was the reason... He had a second shot at this now, but he needed to get there on time... He needed to win... He steeled himself, bolting down the final stretch of the hall and throwing the doors open to walk in. 'Jonouchi,' Yugi shouted, Anzu jumping from her place on the bench with a look of relief. At the side Keith was jerking from his chair while Crocketts stared at his watch. Briefly, his eyes flicked upwards, catching a small smirk on Pegasus' face... In the end he turned his attention back to his friends for a brief moment. 'You made it!'
The blond said nothing, merely nodding as he made his way to the arena. He had to get this over with... Win this duel and then face whatever happened after! "Here's th' card," he said loudly, holding it in the announcer's face as the man looked over his watch. The handkerchief was stuffed back in his pocket, and the card shimmered in the light just dully. "Y' satisfied now?"
The announcer nodded, swallowing as he stared at his watch. "Y-Yes... Of course," he muttered, bowing his head before gesturing back to the table. "...Th...That was ten minutes exactly, you're safe!"
Again the blond nodded, turning his gaze on Keith. "Good," he said bluntly, watching as Keith stared at him with wide and shocked eyes. Keith was otherwise not moving an inch... Bastard still had his feet on the table... "Hey," the blond shouted, Keith flinching just slightly as the blond stood at the side of the board. "Get yer feet off th' table!"
Keith glowered, reluctantly moving his feet to the side and brushing the dirt off his half of the field with a glare. "Fucking little shit..." He snorted, pulling out his deck and slamming it on the table. Katsuya said nothing in response, merely ignoring the man. "Looks like we have to duel anyways... But here's a warning kid," he said with a crocodile's grin. "The moment you sit down, I'm going to show you a living hell!"
His gaze still didn't change, the blond taking his seat at the table and placing his deck at the side. Living hell huh... "Then I'll jus' have t' beat you in Hell, won't I," he bit out, before the announcer's voice from the side came over the air.
"The Second Semi-Final Match, Howard Keith VS Jonouchi Katsuya..." He raised his hand, the two opponents staring the other down before they heard the words needed to spark the first play. "Begin the duel!"
With a nod they did just that, each player drawing his hand. One, two, three... Five cards. "Here I go," Katsuya said with a frown, gathering his hand only to squint slightly at the cards. Each card... Each card's image had suddenly become somewhat different... He couldn't tell how though, what was it... Almost a glint in the monster's eyes...
"I get to go first," Keith shouted, pulling the blond from his thoughts. He frowned as the American slapped his first card on the board, Keith grinning madly as his card took effect. "Pendulum Machine, Defense mode! ...Get ready punk," he shouted, opponent blinking to hide back any surprise at the appearance of a small stone tablet on the board. Metal arms tore from the image revealed across it, pieces of rock rubble falling to the ground. The machine on the board gave a harsh grinding screech as gears clicked, an enormous axe swinging from its middle only to lodge itself into a deep gash on the board. "I'm playing a machine deck," the man continued, "And against the former U.S. Champion, you don't stand a chance!"
Former eh? He smirked, despite the challenge that even 'former' posed for him. "Hah! 'Former Champion'," he repeated, drawing his card for his turn. Ignore the 'tablets'... It was probably nothing, hell, the spell cards showed up as tablets didn't they? "You're just some rock-bottom asshole who's fallen as low as he can possibly get..." Low enough to lock them all in a cave with next to no shot at getting out, enough to laugh at even the duel the night before...
Cheers were coming from the side, lightening the mood he had just slightly. 'Don't worry Jonouchi,' Anzu was shouting loudly, Katsuya dully watching as the board appeared to gain a dark shadow over it as he listened. 'You can do this! You're not an amateur anymore!' Amateur... That's right... He wasn't an amateur, and Keith wasn't a champion any more, just as the American himself had said! Watch him, he thought, eyes narrowed as he looked over his hand. He was gonna beat Keith into a figurative pulp and then maybe get to the real version afterward... He'd win this battle with his own strength...
No matter what!
AN: Stone tablets? LIKE EGYPTIAN STONE TABLETS USAGI? Hmmmmm...
And another chapter bites the dust guys! We're getting close... And people are finding things out too quick for Kaiba's comfort! (And she's not even conscious. DANG.) Little bit of a spoiler-esque note though, but Mai is the last person to find anything out for a long time... At least two and a half 'arcs'. (Namely Christmas, Legendary Heroes/Stuff Before Battle City, and Battle City itself.) More on that below~
So I did some more age searching... Mostly because I had guessed Mai to be around 22. ... Not only was I wrong, I under estimated her age; Mai is 24 guys, and recently so... Her birthday is November 20th. (Mai is one of the characters whose ages were actually listed officially. Keith and Pegasus were among the number as well; Keith is OLDER than Pegasus!) Hnn... Guess she's in dueling as a permanent career then! (That or she has a part-time job somewhere...) Anyways. Thinking of expanding a bit on some story for Mai, but at the same time, I don't want to necessarily do something that will have all of you saying 'But Usagi! USAGI THAT'S NOT EVEN REMOTELY CANON!' ...As opposed to me being creative with Kaiba's dad and mom. (Because I would literally have no basis this time.) You let me know on that!
Iiiiiin other news, I'm working on a large scale art thing for this as I apply for jobs and wait for the phone to ring... If you've ever seen the end credits to 'Durarara', you'll get an idea of what I'm doing... (Hehehe.)
I'd put the Poll results here, but they're still unchanged! BAWWW.
So instead it's time to respond to the reviews!
Anonymous Review Responses
Hello Iona! As with last time, responding to both reviews at once here! You say material? And there will be more~~
Pegasus is a big big big jerk… Though it's implied in the manga (I need to watch the anime more so I can compare) that this is because the eye is that evil. I wouldn't put it past it, that eye mutated into a giant eldritch abomination… Hihhh!
Lots and lots of angst in that chapter, that's for sure… And I should say it's futile with what happened shortly after! You cannot fight it Jou~ You cannot…
You gotta love magical comas. What would we do without them! On to the news of Christmas, it's a bit of both with some added 'Awwwwww~'… Not saying more on that, though I can tell you that the 'something humorous' will likely end up involving the aforementioned nabe full of oden. Hehehe…
And holy crap! My creepy shadowy eye is worthy of Freddy? YESSSS. Oddly enough, that wasn't so much Pegasus as his eye doing its job… As the eyeball said, 'There was a piece missing…' And… Well, it was supposed to lock up the entire soul really. Of course, personifying that alone could be the stuff of nightmares... (I should draw it now.)
Oh Bandit Keith… He'll get whats coming! Back on track, they do need their own show… But what to name it…
I like putting little things like that, along with emotions in really… As you said, it makes things interesting. I still have no clue what's with Pegasus budget though! It's like… 'Well, it's only a few days so we can manage…' Noooo Pegasus… Nooooooo… GERMS EVERYWHERE.
As you said- see you next time!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that wonders if it scared the reviewers away with the misery chapter... And everyone else with the last one. -shivershivershiver-
The title of this chapter is based on the heavy amount of myth behind the Harpy Ladies; fun fact guys, but late greek myth specifically had three harpies, all of them sisters... They had another sister however; Iris, the greek personification of the rainbow. Iris was a messenger to the Gods, and was said to travel with the speed of the wind itself; appropriate, given that her husband was the west wind (Not to mention her brother... Yea. Greek Myths.), and her sisters the Harpies were originally meant to represent the general fierceness of the winds. In any case...
Interesting story; in Greek myth, the harpies were sent by Zeus to torment a blind man who had apparently ticked him off (This seems to be a trend, pissing off the gods...), stealing his food. (Harpy came from the Greek word 'Harpuia', to snatch) What they couldn't steal they'd just ruin... Anyways, the Boreads (Sons of the north winds), who were part of the Argonauts that Jason led around at this time stopped by the island and ended up putting a stop to this. However, at the request of Iris, they merely scared the Harpies off before saving the poor guy.
Anyways. Summary? Mai stopped the duel because she didn't want her Harpies hurt, similar to how Iris specifically requested that her sisters, the harpies, remain unharmed.
Continuing from where we left off, Mai was about to play 'Shadow of the Eyes' in response to Yugi summoning Dark Magician! And here's a bit of news for you…
'Pheromones' aren't just for romance guys; when Mai says that they were spurring attack responses, she isn't joking. Pheromones can be used for anything from alarm to territory marking, and spurring an opponent into an attack is one of those skills. Specifically, these pheromones are meant to spur aggression, and only aggression. Otherwise stranger things would happen on that board... Much stranger things...
Some good news for Jonouchi; things like Crush Card and Shadow of the Eyes only affect him for a short amount of time. So by the time Catapult Turtle comes out, it's worn off… Which means his already easily triggered temper (Though a little less easy now than in Canon I find) is no longer being spurred on by the pheromones. (What with the pheromones targeting more than just one 'species' in terms of duel monster… That would be why they held an effect to begin with.) As it is, the main reason why the normally otherwise volatile temper is toned down without that extra push is because of the depressing mood of about everything else… Ironically, that bit of 'Shadow of the Eyes' has probably given Jou there just what he needs to get going in his next duel!
Obviously a little bit of slight OOC on Jou's part during the Shadow of the Eyes... What with all the little things that bug him being pulled to the front of his brain. (I almost wonder if the pheromones put to use just give a rush of testosterone...)
I'm sorry…
HAREM OF HELL? Damn it Mai. (Yea, that was the actual line in the manga)
Originally in the manga, Yugi says 'to my hand' when referring to 'Monster Return's effect. But not only does he clearly put the cards in his deck, but… Well, you can't really shuffle a hand, there's no point. Not to mention the 'draw five cards' part…
The lines have been switched around; Jonouchi has Anzu's line about the Harpies while Anzu has Jonouchi's line of 'Don't give up!' Why? Because Jonouchi literally has a front row seat to the Harpy's more… Questionable actions. So he's more likely to comment on it (Especially since he already has, during his own match against Mai.).
Science? WHAT SCIENCE? The reason why the pheromones supposedly work against Mai when the Elf comes into play is because they're meant to be sex oriented… But the only ones that do that are… Well… Sex pheromones. As in, ones that would have had Dark Magician charging that Harpy Lady with a little something other than 'anger' if you catch my drift. But in the manga, the pheromones specifically target the male monsters… And make them aggressive.
Maybe the effects are just duller on women? After all, a good number of pheromones are slightly less effective on the same sex depending on the intent… Still…
Damn it Mai. You did it again. 'Ecstasy spark'? AAUGH.
In the manga (And presumably the anime), Mai mentions 'off hand' that she's not sure what to do with the money… In the fanfic however, she's more than aware of the soul stealing antics going on so she's not too eager anymore... Hence why she looked over at Jonouchi; if Anzu told her about the stakes, I wouldn't be surprised if Mai was willing to do a little more in terms of helping. Back to the manga by the way, but her harpies turn to her as if to give their own suggestion when she asks…
Interesting thing; though Yugi uses Kuriboh rather obviously during this duel, Pegasus still seems very surprised when it appears during their own match, despite the man having watched the duel shortly before it! In fact, he actually says this: 'SOMEONE ACTUALLY USES THAT CARD!
'
You know a card is underestimated/BAD when the creator of the game says that…
Speaking of Pegasus, he can guess just from that move that Yugi's going to try and summon the Black Luster Soldier. HAH! That's interesting... Granted, he did create the game...
When Mai gives her last reminder, she says the swords will disappear in three turns… Even though there's only one left. Bwah?
Earlier in the chapter, Jonouchi really does hear the Harpies shouting 'Kawaii!'; the word is the adjective 'cute', and… Is quite likely something that the harpies would actually call something as tiny as Kuriboh. (Technically they say more than this, but Jonouchi can't hear all that through their screeches/the sounds of reality.)
In contrast, I would bet that after seeing their giant pet dragon so easily dispatched, 'Kowai', or 'scary' would be exactly their thoughts on the Black Luster Soldier after it be-heads their pet dragon.
Speaking of the Harpies, Mai really does seem to be able to connect with those monsters interestingly enough… Besides what was mentioned above, shortly after that move she looks at the panicking harpies and ponders how with one more move, she could have had Yugi completely… And then forfeits with that exact line, knowing that she won't be getting back from that fall. I kept the scene, as quite honestly it says a lot… But similar to Kaiba, the harpies will quite likely remain the only monsters she ever sees.
For the 'time limit' scene, I increased the limit that Crocketts ends up giving in the end; due to Mai and Jonouchi's conversation, it was likely to go over the five minute line. More on that scene, but during Mai and Yugi's duel it almost seems as though Pegasus has some sort of creepy telepathy using the eye... Hihhh!
Speaking of the conversation between the two, in the manga Mai encounters Jonouchi outside the arena room… From the door. Did she originally go in there and not find him within those five minutes..? Who knows, but that's why I moved it to her own room; she has to get her things sometime after all!
I appear to have accidentally given Pegasus a thing for flowers... Even though we only see a few scenes with vases in the entire Duelist Kingdom.
The shadow Jonouchi passed? Bakura, Honda, and Mokuba's body. Honda half succeeded the night before, and ended up getting himself saved by 'Yami Bakura'; differences in the fanfic? Mokuba was being kept in a bedroom somewhere, and the guards were about to call Honda in rather than simply tossing him into a 'near by cell', as they obviously didn't have a cell 'on hand', and if they dragged him off then 'history' so to speak would end up repeating.
Keith and Jonouchi's line on Hell is almost reminiscent of the 'Insult Swordplay' from Monkey island… Ahhh Monkey Island… Seriously though. 'I'm gonna show you a living hell!', followed by... 'Then I'll beat you in hell!'
Also if you didn't guess… Due to the current system of 'element beats element' or whatever (Battle Ox overpowers Flame Swordsman due to being earth vs fire? I dunno anymore..), Keith's deck has a… Pretty… Heavy advantage over Jonouchi's.
Now, this next note happened before the last two points, but it's a fairly long one and I wanted to save the best for last. How did Mai find out that Kaiba was a girl? (For those who didn't guess themselves…)
Well, here are the facts that Mai had; First, Jonouchi mentions a 'Seto-chan' at one point during their duel, and before that mentioned being there for 'three people'. Process of elimination later on with Anzu says that one was Mokuba, and the other was Yugi's Grandfather. Questioning Anzu on the 'third' option had Anzu herself confused however, as she didn't think Shizuka was in any immediate danger, and there was no one else in any danger as well (Besides Kaiba) that Anzu could think of.
Later on, she finds out that 'Seto-chan' means at least something to Jonouchi (she gauges his reaction to the question on the night they camp out.)… But that obviously still isn't enough to connect the dots, though she finds out later that evening that Mokuba and 'Kaiba' are 'brothers'…And that Jonouchi is apparently gunning for the castle for Mokuba.
Also, she definitely catches the slips between 'Se' and 'Kaiba'.
After that (Still not sure after all!), there's the soul-snatching duel; when she talks to Anzu about who Mokuba is, Anzu mentions Kaiba's first name to tell Mai just who 'he' is… Namely 'the' Seto Kaiba. Between this, Jonouchi's completely defeated reaction to Kaiba's loss, and the fact that Jonouchi stays at their house and counted 'three people' to save (What with Jonouchi having brought up the coma in the conversation Mai was present at)…
Along with her own intuition (If you look really hard at FemKaiba's face in my drawings, you'll notice that I'm consciously trying to give her a 'fem' face.) about appearance… She comes to the conclusion fairly quick. Helps that she herself knows a bit about pulling the wool over people's eyes using appearance, though obviously not in the same way- there's no doubt that Mai uses her appearance to entice a 'deal' between guys for what she wants after all… Ryuzaki can attest to that!
And that's all for this chapter!
Next up... Jonouchi VS Keith! See you next chapter everyone!