Skin

by Usagi Squared

Jonouchi Katsuya will always look out for his friends, no matter how weird things get. That means he will keep on fighting, whether facing maniacs with freaky powers, monsters from a childrens game, or the fact Kaiba's a girl. Wait, what? Warnings inside

38. Chapter 37

Mas Ex Machina

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The table certainly looked different up close for the duel as opposed to from the side when he'd been watching Yugi and Mai face off. Maybe it was just him... Maybe it was the duel starting up, some sort of effect played out by the arena itself. Maybe it was Pegasus' creepy gold eye looking down on them from above, or hell, even the machine that Keith summoned to the field, its black smoke seeping over the field ground. Who the hell knew really; all he knew was that suddenly, everything around the arena seemed a heck of a lot darker than it had outside, as though a curtain of tinted black had been pulled over the entire room. Nonetheless...

Staring him down from the opposite end of the field was the 'living' 'Pendulum Machine', and regardless of what was at fault he found himself wondering about the 'living monsters' theory yet again. The machine stood with long, slim arms, bent at the elbows as its axe bit deep into the table. How it could do that without affecting 'reality', or without attracting the attention of anyone else he wasn't sure but... He decided not to think much about that, instead taking the first monster in his hand. Pendulum Machine was in defense mode... He had a monster that could beat it, but he needed to get to Keith's lifepoints as fast as possible... "Here I go then," he said almost to himself. The blond gave a slight, 'reassuring' nod, placing the card on the table and watching as a stone tablet appeared to hover above it momentarily. "My turn; I play Kung Fu Fighter Ultimator in defense mode!" From before the stone tablet misted his light footed warrior, armored fists slamming against each other as the man gave a rough grunt of enthusiasm for being the first summoned to the field. Enthusiasm quickly faded with the sight of Pendulum however, the man looking up at the machine across from him briefly before setting his head back down to the ground and taking a crouched position.

Yea... He mentally winced, ending his turn. That would be about his reaction to being set up for a fall too. (Sorry...) Across from him Keith roared with laughter at the sight of the weak monster, drawing the card for his own turn. "Fuck! That card's not even worth beating!" Yea yea yea shut up. This was the one that beat Kotsuzuka after all... It was worth something! "You have to be kidding me," the American said under his breath with a grin, before moving his monster into attack mode. "Pendulum Machine," he called, the monster below standing erect on its arms at the order. Keith's grin grew, and with a single point sent the monster forward. "Turn him into dog food!" With a whirring 'nod' from it's 'head' the machine moved forward into attack mode, Ultimator watching motionlessly with a nervous swallow. Closer.. Closer... The blade swung back and forth, a thick straight line moving from one end of the field to the other as it moved. Closer... The sounds of grating metal and wood could be heard, the table going up into splinters and wood dust as sparks flew from the gears holding the axe in place. Closer...

Abruptly, one of the arms snapped, grabbing Ultimator roughly to hold him in place. The man swallowed, pulled from his feet but otherwise holding silent in the face of the cold and emotionless machine's 'eyes'. He needed the monster in attack mode... The monster knew that was why he was there, and for that reason would accept what came. Watching as Pendulum stood erect on one leg, bringing the axe forward the blond shut his eyes. One quick shout of terror from Ultimator was all that could be heard before the swish of an axe and the sound of two halves of the a man's body coming to the ground met his ears. Blood spattered to the ground, staining metal of Pendulum's axe with bits of organ and bone. The Ultimator's body was now sitting across the board in pieces, each bit melting away to join the smoke that his executioner left on the field. Pendulum Machine was returning to the other side of the board, taking its more erect position as it waited for its next order. "Hurry the fuck up," Keith shouted angrily, Katsuya opening his eyes and jumping slightly in response. "It's your turn!"

He grit his teeth, a quick glance at the bottom at least telling him that Ultimator's corpse was thankfully long gone. Blood still dripped from Pendulum's axe but... He paid it no mind, instead focusing on Keith himself. "I know that," he shouted, drawing his card. Now then... "I play Gilta, the Dark Knight!" Another tablet appeared on the field, the robed and armed spear-man coming into play with a calm glare before standing confidently before his opponent. "His 'soul spear' can kill you in one shot," the blond bragged, Gilta spinning his spear idly before holding it forward with a nod. Course, 'one shot' was really all the monsters could do when it came to fighting... Eh, whatever. "So get ready!" The tip of the staff glowed, and as Gilta pointed it forward the machine across the board waited for the inevitable, standing in the same position it had since the end of the last turn. The beam continued to charge... "SOUL SPEAR!" The ray of light shot forward, cutting a path through the field as it followed Pendulum's large crack in the board. Curving just slightly as it honed in on its target it flew, smoke clearing from its path as Gilta pulled his spear back to his side. The light struck dead on, hitting the joints of the axe and sending sparks flying across the field. But in the end... The monster continued to stand there. "What..." He tensed, watching as the magic merely washed over the machine to seep into the air around them, light fading away into the darkness as Gilta also stared at the monster incredulously. "The attack didn't work..?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Keith leaned back in his chair, grin still in place as he looked across the board. Laugh a little louder why wouldn't he... "My machine deck monsters are equipped with full-metal, anti-magic armor," he shouted, Katsuya tensing as he continued. 'Anti-magic'? Aw hell, wasn't that just great... "Magic attacks won't do jack-shit against them punk!" Ffffff shit... That wasn't good... "Now it's my turn," Keith shouted, placing another card on the field. He'd already made his draw after all... The next tablet appeared, a large arachnid appearing on its surface before beginning to crumble. This time the tablet broke forth to reveal a large four legged metal spider, two massive missile launchers attached to its back. Multiple beady sensor eyes stared blankly across the board, the spider taking a single step to steady itself before becoming completely motionless. "Land-Based, Ironclad TM-1 Launcher Spider!" ...So... The launcher spider then? Katsuya had little time to think over specifics, the blond swallowing as the launchers on the spider's back rose slightly to aim toward Gilta. Aw hell, that looked like it would hurt... And given Gilta's own wince, the warrior knew it as well. "Take aim and kill him," Keith ordered, a series of shots firing through the air. Multiple missiles fired from the launchers, each one rising in the air with a trail of white smoke before honing in on their target. Though Gilta did his best to hold them at bay with a make-shift shield, he could only do so much... And in the resulting explosion nothing could be seen, and not a sound could be heard... White smoke and clouds of grew dust filled the air, clouding his side of the field from view. But even if he had been without the life point counter's steady beep, or Keith's shouts, he already knew the result. "HAH," his opponent shouted, adjusting his sunglasses as the grin on his face grew. "Gilta's long gone!" The man leaned back on his chair, Katsuya scowling as he kicked the blond's feet away from his legs. "Hehehehehe... You're no match for me you little fuck- learn that!"

Tch... He grit his teeth, looking over the field. How about he learn to shut the hell up... Shit though... 2200 attack on that spider... He'd already been put on the defensive then! "...My turn again," he said with a frown, ignoring the blank stares received from Keith's machines. Both Pendulum and Launcher Spider both remained motionless after the last attack, the only thing moving on the dust ridden field being Pendulum's slowly swinging axe. Sheesh... Talk about soulless... (Don't think about souls...) Drawing a card, he looked over his hand once again only to frown at the sight. Alright... Bad draw. Shit... None of his cards had enough attack points, least not the ones who used a sword or an axe or anything... Even so, he decided with a mental nod, adding the card to his hand. He at least had Kunai-with-chain here... Not to mention this particular trap... "Okay," he decided, taking the card and placing it on the board. "Here goes... I play one card face down," the blond announced, watching as a blank tablet appeared on the field in the card's stead. Sometime soon, he was going to figure out what the hell that was about. He really was. "And then," he continued, placing another on the board as he pushed the thought from mind, "I play Axe Raider in defense mode!"

Axe Raider was quick to appear from his tablet, the man stepping out just as quick as the stone appeared on the board. Masked face looked down the field blankly, before with a shrug he swung his axe into the ground and took a seat. One quick look at the machines had been enough to tell him that nothing he did would defend him against them it seemed, but this apparently didn't bug the man... If anything, he was surprisingly relaxed about it. "Psh..." Keith snorted from across the table, drawing his next card as it came to his turn. "That kind of card in your deck... How the hell did a moron like you make it here?" Grgg... Shut the hell up for once why wouldn't he... 'Those kind of cards', what the hell was he on? Keith continued to laugh, before taking one of the cards in his hand and placing it on the table. "I'll put a card face down too," he said with a smirk, taking another one. "And then... I'll play this in defense mode! Take that," he shouted, a large demonic monster appearing on the board with a snarl. Even crouched down the monster looked menacing, large leathery wings forming from his brow, lipless mouth gnashing its teeth at the empty board across from it. Fearsome and black claws sat at the end of each fingertip, and as it looked forward a loud and hissing growl came across the field. "The deadly Devil Zoa!" As the monster gave out a fearsome roar with its announced name Keith crossed his arms, leaning back on his chair and giving a dismissive nod. "I'm done," he shouted, shrugging his shoulders. Nothing else to do when the other monster was in defense apparently. "Your turn, brat!"

Gh... He grit his teeth at the comment, his Axe Raider merely snorting at the words. Well... At least he wasn't calling him a dog or anything... He swallowed, narrowing his eyes as he drew his next card. 1900 defense... It had high attack, but now that it was in defense mode he had a shot at at least getting rid of one of Keith's monsters. God that thing was muscly though... He looked over his hand, smirking before looking back over the table. Alright... Just the draw he needed for this! He could do this... He would do this! "I play Flame Swordsman," he shouted, the tablet that appeared on the board releasing a flurry of flames as his monster stepped out. Flames continued to wrap around the tablet, before dying down to reveal a man garbed in orange armor and blue robes. The swordsman hoisted his blade on his shoulders, staring down the Devil Zoa with narrowed eyes before sharing a look with the Axe Raider at the side. "And then," Katsuya continued, taking another card and setting it on the field as he took his eyes away from the burned tablet on the field. "The spell card, Salamandra!" His swordsman's attack shot up as the second tablet appeared, image of the flaming serpent appearing on it's image. The dragon shot from the tablet, its former home grinding into a flaming dust that wrapped itself around the blade along with the dragon itself. Of course, with this upgrade it would mean the Flame Swordsman would have to attack with magic... Which meant a no go against the machines... But Zoa wasn't a machine, he thought with a smirk, giving a nod to his swordsman below. And even if he couldn't attack the machines, getting rid of Devil Zoa would still mean he could focus his efforts on the Spider! "Go Flame Swordsman," he shouted, the monster raising his blade as 'Salamandra' appeared from around it once more. "Attack Zoa!"

The flaming dragon shot from around the blade, Keith merely snickering across from him as the dragon charged toward Zoa. "Hehehe... Fucking idiot," he called out, moving to flip his card over on the field. What? "Trap Card activate," he shouted, the tablet above it turning around to reveal the image of metal armor. "Metalmorph!" The card ground itself to dust, leaving nothing but a shining steel armor that rose high above the demon with a loud clang. "Zoa turns into metal," Keith was calling, Katsuya mentally wishing he could just shut the man up for a moment. He could see damn well what was going on on the board... Perfectly well... Zoa screamed as screws dug into its body, pieces of metal raining down from the pile above to replace its muscles. Large thick wings were replaced with steel spikes, legs and arms becoming nothing more than nuts and bolts. The roars continued, Zoa turning toward its master with narrowed and angered eyes before finally a helmet cut his shouts off. Locking around its skull the helm sat, and for just a moment the demon stood motionless there. Arms hanging limply at its sides, armor gleaming in the florescent light of the room... Finally, with the same uniform silence from before, the beast crouched down, looking across the board with the same soulless stare of the machines beside it. And as the 'transformation finished, Keith continued still on. "It's attack and defense go up," he was saying, opponent merely swallowing at the sight. He figured... But...

Shit... If he guessed right... The flames searing toward the demon recoiled from Zoa's now metal form, Katsuya biting his lip. Shit... 'Anti-Magic' armor! That wasn't all though he realized, watching as the rebounded flames shot directly toward his monster. "Wait," he shouted, eyes wide as his swordsman found his own weapon turning against him. "It's sent back to my monsters too!" The other monsters didn't do that... What the hell was this about then!

Keith merely chuckled, dark grin still in place as the Flame Swordsman continued to fight off the now rabid Salamandra. "Hehehe... And that's not all," he said as the flames finally struck its original summoner, the monster quickly covered in by a blaze of fire. "The deflected magic strikes back with MetalZoa's attack points! HAHAHA!" As laughter came from Keith's side of the board, Flame Swordsman's tortured screams filled the air as well. Nothing much could be made out from the figure in the flames... Cloth burned away, as did chunks of skin before the person inside collapsed to the ground. 'Flame Swordsman is killed by his own attack,' Keith was shouting, the swordsman's master in question biting his lip. The body remained there for only a moment, flames dying down to reveal a blackened, charred body that was beyond recognition. The smell of burning flesh hit his nostrils, and Katsuya swallowed back what little bit of soup he'd gotten the night before. Damn it... Damn it! "HAHAHAHA! You really are a fucking moron, aren't you 'Joey'," he said with a grin. Stop calling him 'Joey' god damn it! "A top-notch, grade A dumbass!" Shut up!

His laughter continued to fill the air as the corpse before him vanished into a pile of ash in the smoking field below, shouts from the side filling his ears as well. 'Jonouchi,' they were shouting, the rest fading out into the background. Damn it... Damn it... And it was still this asshole's turn too! "Hehehe... Ain't this a shame," his opponent was saying as he drew his card. "You summon one of your more powerful pieces of shit and I get rid of it just like that! Hehehehehe..." God... Damned... Errgh... At least he still had his defense monster to hold off the sp- "I win kid," he said loudly, Katsuya tensing with the words. What the hell? What did he mean, 'I win', he wasn't gone yet! Unless... ...There was that one card that he'd put in Kotsuzuka's deck, the one that... "I know you're defending with that Axe Raider there," Keith 'explained', chuckling darkly as the blond across from him swallowed. Shit... Not that one not that one not... God damn it. "But what if I play... STOP DEFENSE!" AW FUCK NO. Keith roared with laughter, the Axe Raider on the ground grabbing his axe from the side but otherwise not moving. Not quite an attack stance, but given how relaxed the warrior was getting to be about this... He wasn't too surprised when the man merely stood up and used his axe as a prop for his arm. Not much he could do when Keith was shouting 'MetalZoa strikes!', and he only had a little over half the attack heading his way after all. Even so... "It's game over kid!" Not as though he didn't have something waiting... MetalZoa charged from its side of the field, regulated and mechanized gait taking it toward the center in just a few bounds...

Bullseye. Katsuya's face broke into a smirk, his Axe Raider crossing his arms rather smugly as the center of the field opened beneath MetalZoa's feet. 'WHAT,' his opponent was shouting, the blond merely flipping his card over as the 'blank tablet' he'd put up ground itself away. "Hehehe... Ta-daaah," he called, holding the card up for Keith to see, ignoring the strangled crunch of metal as spikes skewered their target at the bottom of the hole. "Think again! You jus' fell inteh th' chasm of spikes!" The card was placed back on the table, sighs and shouts of relief coming from the side. Hehehe... He could lay a trap too after all... And with that move, Keith could say good-bye to a quarter of Zoa's points... Not to mention the monster! "Hey Keith," he said with a grin, watching the American seethe across from him as his monster fell to pieces. In the bottom of the hole, Metalmorph's armor had clattered off of Zoa's body... Spikes pierced through to skewer the demon's flesh core at an odd angle, blood and oil pooling around the spikes and the bottom of the hole. Sparks cracked from the fractured metal joints, and as the hole filled in over top the beast he found himself oddly relieved. "Didn' I tell yah," he said as his smirk fell, the Axe Raider on the board once again leaning on his axe. "Yeh hit rock-bottom?" As Keith continued to growl from across him, Katsuya narrowed his eyes. Alright... Time to get back to the duel! "Next hole I put y' in," he said seriously, drawing a card now that it was again his turn, "Is goin' straight through yer heart... Now then," he continued, watching as Stop Defense ground itself to nothing. Looked like that was dealt with then... He looked over his draw, smirking yet again as he added it to his hand. Heh... He had an idea..! The smirk grew, Katsuya placing one of his other cards on the field. "Hehehe... First I'll play this face down," he shouted, before brushing a bit of hair from his eyes. "Bit of a warnin' here, 'Bandit Keith'... 'S another trap, so y' better watch out..."

Keith merely growled loudly in response, face growing red. "Little shit... What the hell is that supposed to be, some kind of fucking mind game!"

Well, he thought as the smirk grew, dangerously close to a shark's grin by this point. Something like that... "I'll put th' Axe Raider back in defense mode," Katsuya stated seriously, expression returning to its determined frown. The Axe Raider gave his master a wave before sitting back down in the meantime, axe once again rammed into the ground as he crossed his arms. And with the card he'd drawn... "Then I'll play this in attack mode; Beast Warrior Garoozis!" Again a tablet appeared on the board, rising up beside Axe Raider and glowing slightly as the reptilian monster slowly made its way out. Garoozis gave his axe a test swing, tail swishing in agitation as he looked across the board and growled. Fifty points more than Pendulum Machine... With a trap set up for when the Spider attempted to remedy that! Go! "Now," he called, pointing Garoozis forward. Defense against magic? Try cold steel then! "Attack Pendulum Machine!" With a single curt nod the monster tore off, rushing toward the enormous mechanism with a toothy grin. One steady swing of its axe and the monster struck, dodging the swinging blade of the Pendulum with ease. Grabbing the shaft of the device he hoisted himself up on top of the weapon, before tossing his axe high into the joints of the beast and jumping off as the machine gave a loud groan. Sparks flew from the device, Pendulum stumbling as its axe began to swing off kilter. Flames began to sprout from the center, Garoozis continuing to run. Louder and louder the grinding screeches of metal became... And louder... And louder... Before finally the middle began to seize up and...

-BROOUM!- An explosion that blew multiple bits of scrapnel to the ground occured, flames roaring at Keith's side of the field and blowing Garoozis forward to the other side of the table. The monster ducked as he landed, Garoozis covering his head before slowly turning back in the aftermath of the clattering metal. Pendulum's body was collapsing on its two arms, silhouette melting into the orange and red flames as the other 'living' monsters stared. "YES," Katsuya shouted, pumping his fist as his monster ran over and snatched his axe out from the scrap pile. "Take that!"

"Gh..." Katsuya's smirk dropped momentarily as his opponent continued to tense, low and quite likely completely serious voice coming over the board. The blond stared, watching momentarily as his monster returned to its place on the field before narrowing his eyes as Keith continued. "I'm going to kill you," he growled, face beet red as he reached for his deck. Somehow, the man's tone was all too chilling to ignore that time. "My turn," he roared, drawing a card and pointing his last monster forward. "Launcher Spider! Target Garoozis!" Missiles fired yet again as the spider did as commanded, each shell firing in the familiar jet of white smoke. Katsuya flipping his card over while the lizard man ran about in an attempt to avoid all the shots, Garoozis skillfully dodging each one. The field became grey with smoke and dust, the table riddled with craters wherever the smoke began to clear... Though there wasn't much space that was clear, to tell the truth. Keith was staring at the board, a crazed grin on his face as the smoke continued to fill the board and seep into Katsuya's lungs. He could almost picture what he was thinking...

But his own smirk had long since re-appeared after all, despite the difficulty this smoke screen posed for breathing. "Hehehe... Warned yah," he said with a shrug, watching as Garoozis continued to move through the smoke after grabbing what his trap card revealed. A non-existent wind was beginning to blow the dust clear, and as Keith looked at his card in horror Katsuya continued to grin. A single long chain was gripped in his fist, the same hand clutching a steel, razor sharp boomerang tightly. "You jus' activated my trap card!" Garoozis leaped above the Launcher spider, tossing the weapon he'd snatched from the now clear tablet with a crocodile's grin. Not a sound was released save that of buckling metal as the boomerang lodged itself in the spider's side, chain wrapping tightly around Launcher Spider's legs. Landing to the ground, the chain was pulled taught, pulling the machine down as Garoozis ran toward it with his blade. "GAROOZIS AXE CRUSH," the blond shouted, watching as his monster sliced cleanly through the spider's missile launchers only to flee yet again. There were still explosives in there after all... and as Garoozis skidded to a stop on the field a great and mushroom cloud explosion shattered through the air yet again, arms outstretched and weapons gripped tightly as he and the monster's melting metal frame both were highlighted in the flame. "And one more for th' junk heap," he shouted, opponent's lifepoints now passing below his own. He was in the lead... He was going to win this..!

So why the hell was Keith grinning? He narrowed his eyes, his smirk vanishing as the American's sunglasses fell down to the edge of his nose a moment. Wide and bloodshot eyes met his own, Katsuya swallowing under the gaze. "What th' hell are you grinnin' about," the blond bit out, voice kept low as his own monsters gave Keith a similar expression. Wide eyes, dilated pupils... Keith sure as hell wasn't drunk right now, but the hell if he was all there at the moment...

"Hehehehehe..." Laughing too... Katsuya continued to narrow his eyes, his opponent slowly looking back up from the board as he spoke. "Hehehe... Hey kid," he said roughly, face paling from it's flushed red as an insane grin grew across his face. "You ever risked your life before?" The blond tensed, frowning as his mouth hung slightly open in confusion. Risked his... What the hell was Keith going on abo- "I'm asking you," the man said, bringing up his empty hand and making a gun shooting motion against his head. 'Bang', he could almost hear as the figurative trigger was pulled, the blond continuing to tense under the crazed grin and stare from across the board. "Have you ever seen hell kid? Hehehehehehehe..." Alright... Why the hell did he have to get matched up against this nut-job? Seriously... Why..? He'd take Mai's 'harem of hell' over this any day damn it! "You don't care who you have to kill," the man was continuing with his rough cackle, "Just so long as you can save your own skin... That's what hell is," Keith muttered with a snort, the grin still in place as he brought his hand back down. "This Duelist Kingdom, it's the same thing... And there's only one way out of my hell," he shouted loudly, turning upward for a moment. "And it's right through Pegasus... Hehehehehe..." Katsuya followed his gaze only a moment, turning back as soon as he saw Pegasus' narrowed and small smirk. What kind of sick guy enjoyed this kind of speech serious- Oh wait. Pegasus. "I'll do anything to get there," Keith said with a grin, gripping his cards tight. "Anything to get outta hell..."

To get out of hell huh... Katsuya swallowed, staring down his opponent with narrowed eyes. Honestly, he'd like it better if Keith stayed wherever the hell 'Hell' was for now. "Hah! That case, I'll jus' have t' kick y' right back down into Hell, Keith!" Crossing his arms as his opponent continued to grin, he forced a small smirk on his own face. "Get ready..." He still had a plan... Kinda. For the moment, he had the field advantage after all!

His opponent merely snorted, drawing a card and looking at it before smirking. "Hahaha! Whatever kid," he muttered, putting it in his hand to grab a different one. "My turn!" He placed a card on the field, a blank tablet appearing on the field just above it while the man grabbed a second one and continued. "I place one card face down... And attack with this!" A loud series of gunshots came through the air, and the stone tablet that appeared in its stead crumbled to pieces after three solid bullet holes appeared in its form. Rising up with two pistols for arms, an enormous metal dragon rose from the shattered rock, parrot-like beak clacking open and shut against the pistol that made up its nose and head. The barrels in its thighs spun quick enough to smoke, the monster giving a loud and ear-splitting roar as it crushed the tablet's remains beneath its feet. "Barrel Dragon!"

Oh hell... Wasn't sure how he knew the numbers when he couldn't see the damn cards but oh hell... Damn thing had twenty-six hundred attack points. Fuck... Katsuya swallowed as the monster turned its head blindly, apparently very much alive in contrast to the monsters before it. The dragon lashed about the barrel that made up its head spinning with a click while the safety on its main trigger cocked backward in preparation to fire. It couldn't see... But it sure as hell could aim. "Hehehehehe... This... This is gonna be fun," Keith said with a wide and wicked grin, his opponent again swallowing in the the face of the deranged laughter. "Now I get to gamble... Let's see how I do huh!" Gamble! Again he swallowed, eyes widening slightly in confusion. What the hell was this to him? As the blond stared, his monsters currently eying the Barrel Dragon with cocked heads (Where the fuck was its face...), Keith merely continued to laugh and explain away his newest metal monster. "Barrel Dragon's got three revolvers," he started almost lazily, tone only held up by an insane 'pick up' tone. Or at least, three working revolvers... "One for its head," he began, the head pistol turning on its opponents with the words, "And two more for its shoulders... Each barrel has three bullets, meaning there's a 50-50 shot at firing!" Fifty-Fifty... Why would it bother with those chances... "When it attacks," the man continued, grin widening still further, "The cylinder spins!" Then... He frowned, putting the facts together in his head. Then... This was Russian Roulette! A slight chance of life for his monsters he'd grant, with those rules, but all the same... "Here I go," Keith shouted, his opponent swallowing nervously. All the same, fifty-fifty... And even with all of his luck... "Barrel Dragon," its master commanded, the metal beast giving a grating roar as the barrels clicked round to the first hole. Safety triggers clicked off on all three guns, the monster's tail swishing and thumping against the ground hard enough to cause craters to appear. "Attack! RUSSIAN ROULETTE!" The barrels spun rapidly, the dragon clicking his mouth open and shut in anticipation. "If all three go my way," Keith was shouting as the dragon straightened itself, "I can kill three monsters at once! HAHAHAHA!" Three- Which meant that if Keith made a triple shot he was dead! One for Garoozis, one for Axe Raider, one for...

The barrels slowed... Hit. An echoing bang could be heard as the first shoulder fired, knocking Axe Raider's helmet to the ground swiftly. The raider's eyes merely hung open as he fell back under the force, staring endlessly upward as a small puddle of blood pooled at the back of his head. It wasn't a good death but... Though the corpse didn't vanish as the others had, it was better than being destroyed by the Launcher Spider before it he thought. The one on the left slowed next, Barrel Dragon roaring with a grin. Slower, slower... ...Miss. Not a sound came out as the barrel stopped, save an empty blank 'click', and for a moment Katsuya sighed in relief. Ok... Just one more and- "Two out of three," Keith shouted with a grin, a second bang piercing the air as he laughed. Shit..! "GUN CANNON SHOT!"

The bullet slammed through Garoozis' gut, the lizard stumbling to his knees as he clutched his middle. The monster had been taken completely off guard, and his axe and boomerang both clattered to the ground as blood trickled between the monster's fingers. Shit... Both his monsters were... The lizard turned to look at him a moment, giving a weak smile in contrast to his former 'alligator grins'. Though no words came, he could almost imagine an apology... Suddenly, with the same expression in place the monster toppled forward, body laying limp on the ground... And his life points fell again. From what Keith was saying now, each of the bullets carried 2600 attack, but Garoozis' equipment had saved most of the points... Despite the lack of damage done however, he found himself looking forward with narrowed eyes.

Roulette and gambling... Cheh... If that was the way he wanted to do it..! The blond drew his next card, biting back a growl before taking one of the spells in his hand. Alright then! As Keith put it, 'let's have some fun'! "I'll play this card," he bit out, stone tablet appearing in the card's place as a spiral came forth from it's front. small gears floated forward, followed by the large and wobbling eye-balls that allowed the small magician to see. "Time Wizard!" Ignoring Keith's brief look of surprise the blond narrowed his eyes, watching as the Time Wizard's clock body formed from the spiral of the tablet around the gears and eyes both. Time Wizard spun his staff between his fingers, looking forward with the closest thing he could call a frown. "A gamble f'r a gamble Keith," he said with a scowl, the Time Wizard 'nodding' in agreement. "I'm gonna use Time Roulette an' blow you away t' the end of time!" As his opponent's expression fell even further, the grin on his own face grew just as much. "Hehehe... If you're gonna use th' Barrel Dragon t' gamble," he began, the grin growing again to it's shark-like proportions, "Then why don't y' try yer luck with mine Keith? But first," he continued, taking the card he'd just drawn and placing it beside his Time Wizard's 'tablet', "I ain't done... I'm also playin' a monster card!" A second tablet appeared on the field, tiny clawed hands appearing from it and following with an equally small round and orange body. Wide eyes opened to the field, the dragon walking forward from the tablet and stumbling slightly before steadying itself. "Baby Dragon," he called with narrowed eyes, the monster in question looking around the board curiously. "Attack mode!" The dragon gave a small growl, before looking up at the blond briefly and giving a 'thumbs up'. 'Rrrrnnnnrr...' Huh... The blond blinked, watching as Baby Dragon turned back to face his opponent down. ...He wouldn't say it out loud but... The dragon was actually pretty cute... (He was never saying that out loud.) Katsuya steeled himself, crossing his arms to continue with his play. This move would be all or nothing... If he won, the Baby Dragon would become 'Thousand Year Dragon'... And there was no way he wouldn't not overpower Keith's Barrel Dragon then. But if he lost... "Here I go," he shouted, ignoring Keith's smirk. Jerk was probably thinking about what would happen if he lost... Something he had a good chance of doing. Either way! He wouldn't let that happen! "TIME ROULETTE!"

Time wizard raised his staff with a nod, the needle spinning rapidly from the force of the move. A single blur was all that could be seen on the wheel, Keith and Katsuya both watching and waiting to see what would happen. Come on... It continued to spin, flying past the crowns and skulls at top speed. Come on... The needle began to slow, the wizard's master and dragon partner both watching in silence as the wheel continued to spin. Everything was on this... Come on... Slower... They could see the needle now... Slower... The needle slowly came to a stop, Katsuya swallowing as it came nearer and nearer to the end. Slower...

-ting!-

Er... That sound was new. Whatever... It didn't matter... The needle had landed on the crown! "YES! It's a win! TIME MAGIC," he called out, watching as the small wizard's staff began to pulse with an odd and neon coloured glow. A spiral appeared in the center of the field, cracks and craters in the table beginning to fill slowly. The spiral grew larger, encompassing the entire field in its light as the magic did its work. "Time goes forwards hundreds of years," Katsuya stated, watching as the table repaired itself. The blood, the bones of his monsters, the scraps from Keith's own, they were all gone... Time moved forwards, the corpses long since rotting away... The Time Wizard as well was fading away as the magic took effect, his card grinding into dust as he went. He couldn't live over all that time after all... "All the monster's get older," he continued, eyes momentarily trained on the board. His dragon was growing larger, muscles becoming more defined, horns growing longer and claws becoming razor sharp. A beard began to grow, and in its age the dragon came down to all fours. Wings shrunk and grew tattered, thick hide wrinkled and calloused. "And the Baby Dragon becomes the Thousand Dragon! As for your monsters," Katsuya added, grin becoming more of a smirk as the Barrel Dragon across from him began to creak and stumble in its movement. Patches of brown and red appeared on the beast's sides, Barrel Dragon halting all movement as it started to collapse. "They all rust up an turn int' scrap metal!" Cheers sounded from the side, but even so the blond's smirk faded when he pointed his dragon forward. Alright... Time to get rid of the dragon then! Get the duel over with... "Alright," he said with a frown, pointing his dragon forward with a nod. "Go get 'im! THOUSAND NOSE BREATH!" The dragon nodded, sending a blast of heated air toward his opponent with a low growl. Wind was all it took really. The Barrel Dragon creaked and groaned under the assault, barely able to move as it fell to pieces under its own weight. All gone... "Hehehe... Bye-bye, 'Barrel Dragon!"

Keith merely smirked, flipping over the card he had on the table. Ah hell, why did he have to... "That's what you think punk!" Rough laughter sounded around the room, Katsuya gritting his teeth as the man continued. "I activate my trap!" God. Damn it! AUGH. The stone tablet turned with Keith's words, rough image of its form appearing before it ground to dust. It wasn't long... But for a brief moment, he thought he saw- "Time Machine!" Time machine..?

The blond swallowed, watching as an enormous steel capsule appeared on Keith's side. Not large enough for a person obviously... But sure as heck big enough for whatever was inside it. The metal steamed fiercely, as though having just left a furnace to enter a pool of ice, and wisps of white smoke flew off the sides to join the shadows around it. "Time machine," he found himself repeating, his Thousand Dragon following his gaze. The door was opening... An angry hiss came from the door, and with a loud an grating roar Katsuya found himself grow pale. Now way... "What... Th... The Barrel Dragon came back!" Watching as the monster came forward to step back on the board, time machine vanishing back into the dark mists around it he continued to pale, his own dragon drawing back as well. That wasn't all either... That was far from all..!

It wasn't rusted anymore... "Hehehehehe!" The dragon stalked over on the board, sightless head looking about the field as it clacked its teeth together in wait. "Russian Roulette," Keith shouted with a smirk, the three barrels of his dragon spinning rapidly. Shit... Now that he was repaired, there was a two hundred point difference... The first shoulder stopped... Miss. Katsuya swallowed, turning his head to the next one. One down, two to-. The second shoulder stopped... Also a miss, and as the blond began to give a sigh of relief, he found himself jumping slightly at the third result. "GUN CANNON SHOT!" Fuck. A loud bang came through the air, Thousand Dragon momentarily tensing as the bullet caught him square between the eyes. Too fast to see... And since the dragon was already lying on the ground he could do nothing but sit there... "No limey little fantasy dragon is a match up for my guns," Keith said with a grin, his opponent swallowing as the dragon's relaxed pose appeared to become more tensed in its death. Two hundred points down... He looked back across the board, away from the corpse to look at the Barrel Dragon with narrowed eyes. Just what the hell did Time Machine do? As the American continued to speak, Katsuya frowned; looked like he was getting his answer... "Hehehehe... When one of my monsters gets killed," the man began with a grin, "I can use this trap card to bring it back from a turn before... The rusted Barrel Dragon becomes nothing but a decoy," he continued, grin widening to what Katsuya thought an impossible width. "And the original comes back to kick the thousand dragon's pasty yellow ass! HAHAHAHA!" Fuck... Fuck!

...He was sweating... Katsuya opted not to wipe the beads on his face away, instead swallowing as he stared at the board. This was just great wasn't it. His entire move had been made for nothing... Time Wizard and Thousand Dragon both, their actions literally undermined just for one turn. And all there was to show for it was the corpse of his dragon on the field... "Hehehe... I memorized your so-called deck back when you were fighting Kotsuzuka," Keith said with a snort, his opponent growling in response. Oh of course he did, what else did he have the time to do after all? "You're such an amateur, you don't even have a strategy! You know how pathetic that is! Read my lips fucker," he said lowly, Katsuya narrowing his eyes as he gripped the side of the table. "Your deck... Doesn't stand a chance against my machine deck... Now come on," he continued, leaning back on his chair. "Play another monster! I'm just itching for something to kill..."

Gh... God this guy was... Augh... The blond drew a card, gritting his teeth and wincing as he looked it over. Nothing... Damn it. "I play Kojikocy in defense mode," he said quietly, placing the card on the board and watching as the aged barbarian made his way from his tablet. Kojikocy knelt in the same position he had appeared in, sword held at his side as he gave the Barrel Dragon an odd look. And as for the results...

"EAT LEAD," Keith shouted with a cackle, the steady pattern of 'miss miss hit' again appearing on the board. Damn it! What the hell were the chances that that exact combo would happen? The bang echoed through the air, bullet flying from the dragon's head. Kojikocy clutched his chest as his lung was pierced, breathing raggedly before collapsing to the ground along side the Thousand Dragon. He was still breathing, for just a while... Rough, haggard breaths accompanied by bloodied coughs. Finally... There was silence. ...Damn... "And it's not over yet," Keith was shouting, grabbing another card from his hand. Of course it wasn't, why the hell wouldn't it be over for once... "I'm playing another monster in defense mode... Slot Machine!" Another gambling monster? Oh hell...

Katsuya stared across the board as another tablet appeared, a second 'living' machine smashing its way through. Horse-like legs trampled forward on the ground, crushing whatever remains of the tablet sat on the board. With its small arm it gripped a lever on the side of its body, upon which three windows bearing question marks sat in place. A single, tiny head spun about at the top, sole LED eye taking in the board with evident curiosity. "Gh..." Another card... Katsuya made his draw, placing it on the ground with a wince after looking it over. "Tiger Axe," he said, watching as yet another tablet appeared on the board. The furred warrior appeared from his tablet to look up with determined and seemingly honoring eyes, axe held at the ready whilst he turned back toward the opponent. "Defense mode..."

And again the roulette began. Right shoulder. 'Miss'... Left shoulder. 'Miss'... And for the one in the center... 'Hit'. The familiar sound of a gunshot pierced the air, and as it struck the Tiger Axe's throat he had to shut his eyes for a moment. Gurgling cries met his ears as the warrior fell to the ground clutching his neck. "Speechless," Keith was shouting with a laugh, mad and wheezing laugh surrounding the arena. Speechless... Don't fucking say that when there was a monster bleeding out his neck on the table... "You wanna surrender," the man continued, answered with silence. Tiger Axe's choking sounds had finally stopped... Three corpses on the ground now. "Well fuck you kid," he shouted with a grin, his own monsters clicking and whirring in a sound that almost resembled laughter. As the blond set yet another defense monster, Keith continued to laugh, pointing the dragon forward and managing to yet again earn himself a 'miss miss hit' cycle. Armored Lizard was down one eye and lying limp on the ground within the few seconds he had appeared, and across from him Keith was still talking. "I'll let you die when I'm good and ready!"

Tgh... Katsuya grit his teeth, listening as more shouts filled the air from the side. 'Jonouchi,' they were shouting, Anzu and Yugi's shouts both fading into the background as the blond stared at the table. 'Jonouchi!' There were now four corpses littering the ground, the side of his field almost filled. It was weird... Against Kotsuzuka, the bodies had been pulled under ground, sinking into brown mire to join with the graves below. In the labyrinth, they vanished from existence through the attack, either rusting and crumbling on itself or simply fading away. But here, they'd both stayed and gone... Before the Barrel Dragon made his appearance, the monsters had simply 'misted' from existence... Corpses vanishing into the smoke filled field. After however, each monster it'd gunned down remained on the field, collapsed and motionless on the ground with an eternal blank stare. Just... There.

He narrowed his eyes, a merciless glare sent toward Keith as his next monster was gunned down yet again. Battle Steer collapsed to the ground the moment the bullet struck, a single glaring hole in the center of his chest. Five corpses now. He didn't get what all this meant... Wasn't sure he wanted to but... Like hell he was losing here. Sounds had dulled completely... He could care less what Keith was doing, though if the motionless and 'dead' metal monster across the board was any sign the American summoned another shield. 'Space Megatron,' Keith had shouted, the sphere hovering before its crumbled tablet in silence. Tch... It wasn't over... He still had one monster, just one monster... The blond looked back to the cards he held, swallowing. Red Eyes Black Dragon was in his hand now, but there was one card that could power him up enough to get rid of the machines on the field. It was his only chance...

If he could just draw that card! The turn was his again. Katsuya looked over at the deck, silently making his draw and looking at it for a moment before mentally nodding. Alright... He'd gotten it! He didn't want to know what it would do to him but... He'd gotten it. "I play one card face down on the board," he announced, ignoring any reactions he got fro the moment. The tablet appeared, blank visage meeting the field... But he wasn't done just yet. "And I also play t he Red-Eyes Black Dragon," he called, placing the card on the table. One shot... This was his only shot. He'd just have to hope that Zoa's reaction wouldn't be mirrored by- Hang on...

Where was the tablet..? He tensed, frowning briefly. Nothing was on the field, nothing but the corpses... Suddenly however the blond froze, eyes widening for just a moment as a sudden snort came by his ear. 'Grrrnnnnn...' A low growl sounded, and, slowly looking through the corner of his eye Katsuya tensed even more. Holy shit... Deep red eyes met his, even as his gaze turned back to the field. This wasn't happening. 'Grnnnnnn...' Warm black scales rubbed against his arm, a towering black dragon's clawed arms coming to rest at either side of him on the table. Each arm pressed almost firmly at his sides, holding him in the chair as the enormous dragon came to rest. This wasn't happening, the board was one thing, the 'Duel Disk' was another thing, but this... Red Eyes gave a low growl, twisting it's neck to look his master in the eye before facing the field, mouth hanging just slightly open as deep steady breaths came from the side. Holy shit... How the hell was this... How the hell was this possible... He swallowed, steeling himself as he followed the dragon's gaze toward the opponent. Damn it... This would just make him feel even worse about he was going to do! Katsuya swallowed, turning his gaze directly toward the weakest of Keith's defense mode monsters. "Red-Eyes," he shouted, the dragon giving a curt nod. Eyes that glowed with a deep red flame were looking at him now... If he looked close, he could see a slit and reptilian pupil in them... Damn it... Stop looking at him... "Attack Space Megatron; Black Fire Bullet!" The dragon beside him opened his mouth wide, charging a blast of flames that licked the sides of his maw and threatened to burn the corpses below it. A few seconds was all it took, before the flames were blasting toward the other end of the table. 'Space Megatron' vanished into the flames completely, and by the time they died down... There was nothing left. "Turn over!"

Keith smirked, chuckling lowly as his opponent and Red-Eyes both glared at him. "So at last," he said with a laugh, arms crossed. Laugh at his dragon why wouldn't he... Bastard. "Your strongest monster..." The harsh chuckle continued through the air, Katsuya thinking to his strategy and sending a small look to his dragon. This move... He didn't want to hear Red-Eyes' screams like what Zoa had done, but if he didn't... "Hah! It's no match for the 40mm slugs in Barrel Dragon!" Those things were forty millimeters..? HUH. "Okay then," Keith shouted grin growing yet again as his opponent sent another look at his monster. This was it... All or nothing. "If that's what you want, I'll make it a clean shot! This is the end," he roared, Barrel Dragon's roulette spiraling through it's usual pattern of shots yet again. The right shoulder was a miss... So was the left shoulder. The center however... "Barrel Dragon! Kill Red-Eyes!" Damn.

The bang came through the air... The bullet shot forward almost in slow motion, Red-Eyes moving its head around and giving a single look to Katsuya. 'Do it,' it seemed to say, a low and muttering growl coming under its breath. 'Do it...' Somehow, as he reached for the card, he just knew that it wouldn't be like Keith's 'MetalZoa'. Taking the dragon's look as an 'approval' he nodded, before flipping over his card with a wicked grin. "Heh... I've been waitin' f'r this," he shouted, flipping the card over as Keith froze. Nothing holding him back now... Hehehehehe... "Check out my face down card!" The tablet on the field spun, and as it ground to dust the familiar faceless wizard on the tablet appeared on the field. "Copy cat! I'm gonna copy one of your cards," he continued, the mirror-faced mage waving down the field before batting away the fired bullet with the same hand. Copy cat's multicoloured form began to shift, misting out of existence as the blond's grin grew dangerously menacing. Large metal armor now hovered above his dragon... Time to give Keith a taste of his own 'medicine'. "And I choose Metalmorph," he shouted, Red Eyes giving a loud roar as his scales shimmered in the odd light surrounding them. "Givin' Red Eyes his own boost 'f power!"

He wasn't hearing the same screams that Zoa had given when Keith played this card. The metal merely came down from above and wrapped around the dragon as a well fitted armor should have, accenting already fearsome scales and claws with black steel. Red-Eyes, though now completely covered by the same metal that had formerly adorned MetalZoa now was merely staring down their opponent with a low growl, and looking at Katsuya with what could almost be called a grin. The blond looked to his dragon for a moment, sharing the expression before turning back on Keith and crossing his arms. "Hehehe... Say hello t' Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, Keith! An' now that it's my turn," he shouted, Red-Eyes already charging a thick blast of black-red flames in its mouth. The blaze grew larger and larger, sparks catching the side of the corpses on the board as he continued. "Red-Eyes attacks! DARK MEGA FLARE!" The flames completely surrounded the board as the dragon fired, Barrel Dragon's harsh rasping cries drowned out by the roar of flames as its body melted and sparked. Even surrounded by the flames he could see the beast thrasing, limbs having each detonated in the flamable, black-powder reaction. "Barrel Dragon dies," Katsuya shouted, eyes narrowed as a determined frown returned on his face. Red-Eyes had pulled its head back, giving the blond a clear view of the field. Keith was looking toward him with an expression of complete horror now, and cheers were again coming from the side as the remaining corpses on the board vanished into ashes. "You can f'rget about makin' it outta Hell, Keith," he said lowly, eyes narrowing further as the man continued to pale. "Cause th' fact is, th' devil doesn't get that kind 'f a chance..."

The tables were once again turned! As Keith grumbled something about the last move, Katsuya found himself looking back toward the others. Anzu was still shouting loud cheers... Yugi didn't seem to be saying anything however, instead giving a nod. He could almost hear him... The silent cheer that 'this Yugi' gave during each battle. He could win this... Be it by luck, by some miracle, or by his own skill, he could win this... Definitely! And by doing that, he thought with a nod of his own, turning back to the board, they'd be in the clear.

...Mostly. Keith was laughing again, an alligator's grin once more in place. "Heh! Enjoy your luck while you still can," he spat, light from whatever flames remained creating a glare on the man's sunglasses. I still have a winning strategy... And I'll show you that there's no way for an amateur dumbass like you to beat a pro!" Tch!

As more of Keith's wheezing laughter filled the air, Katsuya spared a glance to the dragon at his side. Red-Eyes was currently seated in an almost laid down position, the armor on his neck leaving little room to simply bend it around to look at his master. For the moment however, it was merely growling at his opponent's final monster, eyes narrowed at the Slot Machine. "Hn! You're right," he said with a frown, crossing his arms. "I don't have any particular strategy, and I'm just some amateur who started playing a few months ago... But lemme ask y'," he said, leaning forward just slightly in his seat. "If I'm such a dumbass who can't find his way around a deck, then why are your lifepoints th' ones decreasing right now?"

"Tch... You idiot," Keith growled, absently rubbing the shoulder he'd dislocated the night before. Heh. Did it still hurt then? "It's skill that'll determine the winner of this duel!" Hear hear for once... Though while Keith obviously had some skill, there was no way he'd be beaten by it! "Now shut the fuck up," the American roared, drawing a card. Angry maybe? "It's my turn!" A mere glance was spared at it, before it was placed on the table. Wow, did Keith even look at that card... Like he knew it was there, holy crap. "I play another face down card," he called, adjusting his sunglasses yet again with a grin. "And Slot Machine stays in defense mode... That's the end of my turn!" Ah... Probably nothing...

Hnn... Alright then! Katsuya looked across to the Slot Machine as a blank stone tablet appeared on Keith's field, mentally nodding. Time to clear the field then... "It's my turn," he shouted, drawing another card. Looking at it for a moment he set it down, a second plan coming to mind as the blank tablet appeared on the field. "I'll play one face down card too, and then attack the Slot Machine!" Again black flames appeared from his side, the heat almost blistering his skin. Nonetheless however, it was something he could tolerate for the moment. Red-Eyes' attack had only one target in mind as the flames grew hotter, mouth growing wider in an attempt to control the attack. And... Now! "DARK MEGA FLARE!"

The burst of flames washed over Slot Machine, obscuring the device from view as it raise its cannon arm in an attempt to protect itself. Though he could see the silhouette of the monster briefly, the fires quickly illuminated the field beyond anything the shadow of the monster could survive. Couldn't see it... He couldn't see it going down... Did he beat it..? He knew the attack was better than the defense this time around but... "Hehehehe... Close brat, but no cigar!" Damn. That was a no then. Keith grinned wickedly as he flipped his recently placed trap over, the tablet on the field spinning forward as the flames around Slot Machine died down. "I'm gonna use this face-down card..." Slot Machine pulled on the lever at his side, slots in the center blurring and spinning before it clacked into place. Seven..? "Complete Seven," the American continued to shout with a laugh, the tablet behind it continuing to hover in place. "An interchangeable power unit that increases the Slot Machine's defense by 700 points! Making it a total of 3000..." Awwwww, shit! "And with that kind of power, your fucking dragon can't even scratch it!"

"Guh..." The flames bounced back from against the Slot Machine, roaring back against himself and the dragon both. Katsuya grit his teeth as a few flames singed his face, holding his place against the slight onslaught. Wonder what would happen if one of these attacks hit him directly... ...Hihhhh don't think about that. "Th' attack bounced back..." His lifepoints dropped another two hundred points, and from the side he could hear worried shouts. Damn it... He hadn't expected something like that! All the same, if that was what one '7' did...

He swallowed, both he and Red-Eyes looking across to the now steaming Slot Machine with narrowed eyes. What would three, a 'jackpot' do? It only increased defense though right? He could find a way around that, hell, he had Sword and Shield in hand so if he used that while the thing was in defense mode... "Hehehehe... And y' know what kid," the American said with a grin, Katsuya frowning as the man rubbed his shoulder yet again. "I've got another 'Complete Seven' in my hand!" You could play as many spells as you wanted in one move..! Katsuya tensed, and as the card's 'tablet' appeared on the board the Slot Machine pulled down his lever again. The number on the far left spun and blurred, steady 'cling' noises filling the air before it halted with a second number seven. It was coloured differently... So it wasn't a match then right..? "And you know what's even better," he added with a grin, "This one adds 700 attack points!" What..! The blond swallowed as his opponent continued laughing, watching as the Slot Machine gave what could only be called 'snort'. They could do both..! Shit... Was he going to up the attack power again with the third seven then..? Shit, what would that bring the numbers to... "I'm playing another card too," Keith shouted, slapping yet another card on the table. Damn it stop adding crap! "Blast Sphere!"

The tablet that appeared on the field was the first to survive its monster's appearance, a single four-legged 'ball' shooting from it toward him. Red-Eyes instantly blocked the strike with his neck, only to give a confused growl as the four legs locked around it tightly with a clack. "W-What..." He narrowed his eyes as Red-Eyes gave a nervous tap to the orb with one claw, only for it to give an angry beep and shudder in response. 'Grrnn! Rnnnn...' Yea. He was confused too Red-Eyes... Either way this was a problem... It was one hundred points more powerful than the dragon... But what the hell was it, if it had just latched on like this? "It's attached to th' dragon's body..?"

Again his opponent laughed, grin wide and chilling. "That's a time bomb kid... Set to explode in one turn!" W-w-what... Bomb! This thing was a bomb! "Hehehehehe... In other words," he said with a laugh, a small red light appearing on the 'Blast Sphere's form, "Unless you can do something about it now, your Red-Eyes is history!" There was a bomb right beside him!

Oh shit... Katsuya looked at his dragon for a moment, the beast giving a low and annoyed growl as the sphere around its neck began to beep slowly. Shit... This thing went off Red-Eyes was... The blond looked at his deck, gritting his teeth. And not just Red-Eyes he bet... His cheek stung way too painfully for the fires from the last attack to have done nothing. One shot... He'd have to put all his faith in this card... He drew from his deck, looking over it as the beeping began to pick up. Beep... Beep... Beep.. Beep.. Dragon Nails... His eyes widened briefly, and beside him the pace on the bomb was picking up. Beep. Beep. BeepBeepBeepBeep- This would do it! The card was slapped on the table and activated, just as a single sound came from beside him.

-Beep- "Times up," his opponent shouted, Katsuya wincing and closing his eyes as the explosion went off beside him. He'd seen the legs snap off, Red-Eyes having clawed at the bomb in the last moments. Nothing but a white veil of smoke around the side of the field now... Come on... come on... Smoke filled the field as Keith continued to laugh, before the chuckling abruptly cut off. Red-eyes shook off the soot and scraps of the Blast Sphere, small attack upgrade having proven just enough to keep it safe.

"Phew," he said with a sigh, rubbing his head. Sounds of crackling flames from the explosion were ringing in his ear, and honestly he was surprised the bomb had been dealt with before it literally went up in his face. Damn... "That was close... Good thing I drew this," he continued with a smirk, holding up the 'Dragon Nails' card as Red-Eyes flexed his claws beside him. The tablet below had ground away to nothing, and the act had been just enough to buy some time against the bomb. "Brings Red-Eye's attack up six hundred points... More th'n enough t' d'fend against that bomb 'f yours..."

And the best part was, the shrapnel from the blast had found their way over to Keith's side of the field, the power from the attack rebounding on its owner. Obviously no physical damage there, but... Heh... Now his life points had taken a decent hit too! Four hundred left... Just one more attack and- "You little rat..." The American rubbed his wrists, red in the face as he moved to draw his card. The smoke from the last explosion continued to block portions of the field, and as Katsuya tensed, the man before him suddenly grinning wickedly as he held a card out through the smog. He couldn't really see what it was... But... "Well look what I have here," he shouted almost hysterically, opponent tensing in response. "Another Complete Seven card, ready to equip to my Slot Machine!" He continued to grin, the tablet that appeared on the field already grinding away to nothing as the familiar sounds of a slot machine filled the air again. Oh... FUCK. Seven... Seven... Seven... "Seven hundred attack points brat, and I move the Machine into Attack mode!" Seven hundred...

Sounds of a jackpot could be heard, Katsuya tensing as the machine before him leveled his gun toward Red-Eye's head. Even with its pidly size compared to the dragon, there was no doubt that the weapon would pack a punch. No doubt... 'They have the same attack points,' Anzu was shouting from the side, the rest of the field filled in silence aside from casino rings and the breathing of his dragon. 'Almost the same lifepoints... They're completely even!' Damn it... Katsuya looked over his hand, narrowing his eyes. Nothing in his hand to help that he could tell... Sword and Shield would just screw Red-Eyes over completely at this point... All he had left was what was on the board really. The blond grit his teeth, shaking his head slightly. This feeling... He was getting a nagging feeling in the back of his mind- everything was going to end this one turn, no matter what happened. This one turn...

"Hehehe... You better not still think you can beat me," Keith was saying with a low growl, answered only by a steady glare. "Cause if you do," the American continued, taking a card from his hand, "I'll open your eyes with this..! Pillager!" What? Katsuya tensed, watching as from the now visible tablet a small thief bounded forward. The thief hoisted a sack on his back, hand on his hip as he looked toward the blond across from him. He didn't seem to be doing anything but... Wait, was he looking at- "Pillager lets me look at your hand and take any card I want," Keith said with a grin, his opponent swallowing with the words. Below on the field, Pillager was eying his hand with evident interest... Shit. "Now show me your damn hand, brat!"

"Gh...Rrgghh..." Katsuya grit his teeth, turning the hand around and revealing his four cards. Shit... While he didn't have a card that would help him, there was definitely a card that would help Keith!

Chuckling continued as he held the hand there, the pillager on the bottom giving one point before he and the tablet vanished from view in a blast of windswept dust. "Hehehe... Looks like for all the crap in your hand, you have a nice card there!" Shut the fuck up Keith... Shut... Up... "Didn't you beat Kotsuzuka with this one," the man said with a wide grin, reaching forward to roughly snatch the card from his hand. The blond pulled his hand back, still glaring as his opponent continued. "I'll take this one... And with that, it's all over 'Joey'!" Stop calling him that already! The card was slapped on the table, tablet appearing only to spin rapidly from its position on the field. Dust flew from the rock, wrapping itself around the Slot Machine and Red-Eyes both before the monsters shook the stone particles from their faces with a growl and a roar. Gh... For all that wasn't visible, it still seemed aparent that the Slot Machine had the advantage. Now there was a six hundred point difference... If he'd just had one turn- Wait... "HAHAHA! Attack," Keith ordered, Katsuya hurriedly reaching for his trap. One turn... Alright! "PLASMA LASER CANNON!"

No time... No time... The laser on the cannon arm charged, aiming toward his monster as sparks of electricity jumped off the sides. Red-Eyes bent its head in front of his master, growling warningly at the Slot Machine before it. "W-Wait," he shouted, flipping the card on the field as the tablet before it spun forth. The image slowly came into being, small hooded boy beginning to materialize from the stone. "I'm activating this face down card," the blond continued, opponent simply laughing in response as the card slowly took effect.

"It doesn't matter," the American shouted madly, Katsuya's 'Graverobber' rushing over to Keith's card pile from the tablet it leaped from. Though the ground was littered with metal scraps it ran, the board proving a fairly long distance for a figure of its size. No time... "DIE," Keith roared, Slot Machine's attack charging to its last length. "The black dragon DIES!" The laser blasted into Red-Eyes' face, the dragon giving a strangled roar before a solid and fist sized hole appeared between his eyes. His head sunk to the table at Katsuya's side, the blond swallowing as he brought his attention to the spell he'd activated. Come on... The first part of the move was over... Graverobber hurriedly dug into Keith's cards, searching frantically for a single thing before running back over with a tablet on his back. It was interesting how the 'Graveyard' had materialized as a pile of the tablet rubble... But nonetheless, it made it easier to comprehend how Graverobber was finding a stone tablet in there. "I win"' Keith was shouting with a laugh, his opponent still watching his spell card do its work. "HAHAHAHAHA!" Graverobber pulled on its master's sleeve at the table amid the shouts, Katsuya looking down to smirk as the boy vanished from sight. Only a tablet remaining there, a tablet that was already glowing with power on the field. Time Machine. And as the card activated, the blond looking forward at his opponent, Keith's laughter began to fall short incredibly quick. "Haha... Hah... Ah... What..."

Katsuya's smirk grew, the 'Time Machine' tablet grinding away into nothingness as an enormous metal capsule appeared behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know what happened... Hell, he could feel the heat from the giant steel box as it was! "Heh... I ain't proud 'f beatin' you at thieving Keith," he said with a grin, the door hissing open behind him as a loud and thundering roar followed after. "But say hello t' my friend from th' past!" One turn backward... Before the death, before the Sword and Shield... Keith was staring at the board in horror where Red-Eyes hologram was likely appearing, the dragon itself taking position behind him with a low and angered growl. 'No,' Keith was muttering, Red-Eyes baring its teeth to the man as it glared. 'No... That means...' "You got it," he shouted, smirk falling back to a determined frown, the dragon beside him raising its head to take aim. "Attack and d'fense wasn't reversed last turn... Which means I'm bringin' my dragon back at full strength!" Four hundred points more, against four hundred life points..? Easy math. "Go for it Red-Eyes," he shouted, the dragon's fiery breath charging above him. "DARK MEGA FLARE!" As the blast charged down on Keith's last monster there was a loud explosion, the ciruits and sparks in the machine joining with the dragon's flames in the worst way possible. Flames lept from the table as the remaining tablet remains and 'graves' vanished into smoke, the Slot Machine giving one last fruitless 'clank' before falling into melted pieces of scrap. "Slot Machine is destroyed," he continued, his opponent still staring in shock as cheers continued from the side. With the machine's destruction the field cleared, smoke and shadows both vanishing as a shout came from Crocketts at the side. Keith's lifepoints had been erradicated dead on after all...

'The match between Howard Keith and Jonouchi Katsuya is resolved,' the announcer was calling, Keith still staring with mixed rage and horror. 'And the winner is... JONOUCHI KATSUYA!' He won..! He won! The blond slammed his hand and cards on the table before jumping to his feet, his dragon remaining at his side only a moment before vanishing with the rest of the board. "YES! In yer face y' creep," he said with a shout, arms raised as he grinned. Keith merely continued to growl, grabbing his cards and storming from the duel table in a rage as Katsuya continued to cheer. "I WON!" HAH! To say he beat the former champ of the US... That wasn't something to sneeze at!

"Jonouchi," the others were calling, the blond turning as his grin faded to a more controlled smile. He really did it... Mokuba, Seto-chan, everyone else... He did it... ...So why did he feel... "Congratulations," Anzu said, she and Yugi both coming over. Why'd he feel so damn exhausted now that that was over with..?

Haha... Ha... "Anzu," he said, looking at the woman before turning down to his friend. "Yugi..." Nothing but smiles and quiet celebration..! ...He did it. He threw an arm around both, head bowed as he continued to smile. He was shaking... Why the hell was he shaking..? "Thanks," he said quietly, pulling his friends into the hug. "I couldn't have won without you guys... Wouldn't 've stood a chance..."

Yugi shook his head as the blond pulled out, arms still resting on their shoulders. "No Jonouchi," he said calmly, hands in his pockets as his friend pulled back completely. "You had the courage of a true duelist... You fought alone, and because of that you were victorious!" Courage... Hah... Like what Mai said neh?

"Yea," Anzu said with a nod, stepping back slightly as Keith shoved past from behind them. "You won without the help of anyone... Both now and a few times before; you can be proud of that, we didn't do anything!"

Katsuya blinked, pulling out the 'Honor' card Mai had given him with a nod. All him... He stared at the card, frowning slightly before turning back to his friend. He owed Mai one... but first. "Sorry Yug'," he said with a small and nervous smile, pocketing the card again and moving to clear his side of the field of cards. "I know this was jus' th' semi-finals... But f'r me, that felt like th' final battle..." He couldn't fight anymore; not with cards, not today.

As he gathered his deck back up and put it back into his jacket, Katsuya turned to the others once more. "But," Anzu was saying, giving a small shrug before crossing her arms. "If you and Yugi both advanced to the final match, doesn't that mean you both have to fight each other still..?" Hah... Not like they wouldn't know the answer to that match up...

Beside him, Yugi shook his head, frowning. "No," he stated bluntly, his own arms crossed. "That won't be necessary... Our objective was to beat Pegasus," the boy continued, his friend nodding in agreement. "Now that we've come this far, he's within both our sights; if Jonouchi and I were to fight in front of him," he continued, eyes narrowed, "We'd only expose more of our tactics..." Not that he had any tactics in particular but... Whatever.

"I guess it could only hurt," Anzu was muttering, frown still remaining in place. Yea... Well, in any case.

Yugi turned up to Katsuya, the blond blinking as his friend faced him with a still determined frown. "Jonouchi," he asked, the teen staring with wide eyes for a moment. "Will you leave the rest to me?"

He... Katsuya swallowed, silent for a moment. "Yugi..." This was... Hell, he admitted that that would likely happen but when the question was actually asked... "I know you're th' only person with a clean shot at beating Pegasus," he began, pulling his 'Honor' card from his pocket again to stare at it a moment. "Hell I knew that b'fore we even got here but... But still.. I..." He shook his head, eyes still wide before he grabbed his friend's shoulders. "I... Can I really weigh you down with all this," he asked, looking at Yugi with a frown. "With Mokuba, W' S-... Kaiba... You're already fighting for yer Grandpa," he continued, head again bowed as he spoke. "But do you really want to... Would... Would y' really..."

"Of course," Yugi answered, smiling. "I would never refuse my friend- and I'll win not because I can," he continued, bowing his own head as Katsuya turned to face him. "I'll win because I fight for you, and for the others... Just like you fought for them." Yugi... "Jonouchi," the boy stated, narrowing his eyes with a steady frown. "I will defeat Pegasus... For you... For Mokuba... For my grandfather... And for Kaiba."

Katsuya stared, before nodding and handing his card to the boy. Alright... As Yugi held the card up for Pegasus to see, the blond turned his narrowed glare upward. They wouldn't let this guy get between them..! It was time to fight... Let him do his worst, let him snatch his soul on the spot, it was time... Pegasus was standing from his chair, muttering something to a shocked guard at the side. Though the guards both looked as though they would argue for a moment, they calmed rather quickly. For a second, Pegasus merely stood there, watching the guards leave... Finally the man looked down and gave a wide, false smile. "Very well Yugi-boy," he said calmly, Katsuya and Yugi both narrowing their eyes further as the man spoke. "We will hold the final battle of the kingdom! But first," he continued, gaze appearing to shift over to the blond momentarily. First..? "It's almost noon... A break for lunch will be held, to give those who have lost an opportunity to gather their things... And for you to prepare your deck for our final match..." A large grin appeared on his face, the man giving Crocketts a wave before leaving the room.

Lunch huh... The man at the side nodded, turning to the three remaining in the room. "If I could ask you to clear the room," he stated, gesturing to the door with a blank and neutral expression in place. "We will prepare the arena for the final match; staff will deliver a small meal to your rooms," Crocketts continued, Anzu audibly muttering something about the 'food' likely being only in name as opposed to existence, "So wait there until someone notifies you of the battle start." They were going to send them food? After all the crap from before?

Yeaaaa right. Briefly, he thought about arguing against that but in the end... "Alright," Yugi said, both Anzu and Katsuya looking at him for a moment. He had a feeling there was a reason why Pegasus called the 'break' after all... "We'll do as you say..." As he turned to leave, the others following behind him however, Crocketts coughed.

"First," he said, the three turning yet again. "As the runner-up to the tournament, Jonouchi Katsuya will need to be taken to a separate room for a briefing on his prize..." 'Briefing'? As the blond frowned, Crocketts continued on, hands held firmly behind his back. Shit... So not only were they being separated, they were being separated by a good number of hallways! "If you could follow me," he stated with an almost chilling tone, Katsuya's frown gaining an added feeling of nervousness as the others behind him listened with narrowed eyes. "This will only take a moment..." Yea... Only a moment right?

He could hear his heart beat with that statement... Final match was going to start in an hour, but something told him he would take longer than that hour... At the same time... The blond swallowed, but nonetheless nodded. He couldn't make a scene here... He couldn't... Yugi needed to face off against Pegasus, finish him off. If it was anything but a duel, then Pegasus would probably call him out on it and render the entire unspoken agreement void! "Jonouchi," Anzu was asking, eying Crocketts with evident suspicion. "Are you sure about this, I mean... You can do this later can't you?" Probably not, he thought with a grimace.

Before Crocketts could answer that however, Katsuya shook his head and did it for him. "Nah... Like he said," the blond muttered with a cough, "Only a moment righ'?" Despite the sudden tenseness of the situation Katsuya continued to look forward, attempting to hold a confident stare. He was done with the dueling after all; if this was what was next... Then he couldn't risk Yugi's shot at Pegasus by arguing now. He couldn't risk everything... "...Lead th' way," he said with a shrug, moving past the others and giving one quick glance to his friend. Yugi's eyes were narrowed with suspicion only a moment, before they widened with realization. Yea... He'd guessed too... "Look after that thing," Katsuya muttered under his breath, before walking off down the hall. "I leave it up t' you Yugi..." Get their souls out... He'd do whatever else he could from the sidelines!

With that they went their separate ways- Anzu and Yugi to their rooms, to pack up whatever was left and prepare for the next duel... And the blond being taken to a room elsewhere in the castle, to await whatever would happen next. Whatever it was though, he decided with a nod, hands in his pockets as he and the suit both passed through a nearby hall to enter a large study room, he would be ready. Honda was looking for the bodies still... Yugi would soon be fighting for the souls. As for himself...

He was here. The blond looked around the room a moment, sunlight pouring through wide open curtains to illuminate the lavishly furnished room. Fireplace at one side, a couch across from him... Walking forward to inspect the table, he had to raise an eyebrow. Damn... There was actually f-

The sound of a door closing came through his ears, the blond turning back to face the one who had started the entire mess with a jump. As Pegasus walked in, small smile on his face, Katsuya swallowed. The door... He turned his attention's to Pegasus, watching as the man moved around the room to take a seat in a nearby chair. "So," the man began, staring his 'guest' down with an odd and fairly cold smile. "How about we talk... 'Doggy-boy'?"

He didn't even need to look at that door to know it was locked now.

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AN: Damn iiiiiit Pegasus, you didn't even show up for more than a few lines and you're still a giant creeper! HAAAAAAAH STOP IT NOW.

And so we jump into non-canon... What with this being Jonouchi's point of view, anything we see of Yugi's next duel is completely dependent on whether or not Jonouchi gets there... And given Pegasus' track record, we can't be too sure with that happening. (Pity...) In any case! Finally got photoshop up and running, so expect art in the near future... You'll notice updates are still moving fairly quick, what with me sitting in the hole of time between applying for a job and actually having one. All that aside though, not much longer... Depending on how timing plays out, Christmas will either happen before or after the 'Legendary Heroes', though it's still a definite 'before Rebecca and Otogi show up'. Really depends; if Duelist Kingdom wraps up fast enough, then hey, I'll give it a shot. A lot of you are probably wondering how a three episode 'season' is proving difficult for me, but the fact is, there was so, soooo much in that small group of episodes that they could have done that I ended up going crazy with the designs and plot there. Lets face it guys, the entire thing put them in armor, had it all built up like an RPG...

AND THEN THEY KILLED IT WITH THEIR CARDS! Ahhhhhh I expected it. But that's not to say I won't try something, mehehehe... In any case, if that happens then we get to see much more of Mai than before! So be happy guys! Basically, if I finish Duelist Kingdom before Halloween, I'll most likely do this. Mostly because, as long as I've made it, Legendary Heroes will still be about as long as the Monster World Arc... Maybe a chapter longer, depends on how it plays out... And of course, 'how it plays out' determines whether or not you get a super early Christmas special, more 'filler' (Like the summer chapter.), or... Yea.

Poll Results:

I put it in bold; OOOOOOH~ Same results so far, decide through either the poll on the author page or through reviews, on the identity of Seto Kaiba's past incarnation the Priest!

Female Crossdressing Set - 9 (One Anonymous)

Obviously Female Priestess Set - 5 (Two Anonymous)

Canon; Male Set - 2

And now for the next part...

Anonymous Review Responses

We've got two again, so first thing's first! Hey Iona! Haha, I don't think anyone expected it really. The fact was though, I had always intended for that scene to play out at least somewhat like that… That or she'd pull something on them in the Legendary Heroes.

Oh hey… This means that the entire cast of the Legendary Heroes arc for the 'VR' part is on Kaiba's secret, isn't that interesting... (-beaten with bricks-)

I did make sure that it would make sense for her to find out though; it helps that she actually asked, albeit subtly, about the entire deal, which meant that she was able to do what a lot of series like to play with. Basically, if people just stopped and spoke with one another, the entire story would play out, as what one person knows can be paired with what another knows to complete the story… Mai just acted on that theory, and found everything out.

Hahaha, Mai does follow because she cares, but this time it was all Jou's fault; he was in front of the bedroom in the fanfic! She is indeed an 'awesome friend', and it's mostly that which saved her from being little more than a lost love interest in the fanfic… If anything, she's likely to be more of an annoyance to Kaiba now… (This should be interesting.)

There should be a pest spray for him. 'PEGASUS-BE-GONE! Protect your thoughts at all times!' It is nice to see how for once it works in their favour though… (Probably just wanted to spy on Jonouchi a little longer…)

Believe me when I say that I'm looking forward to what's next as well!

Oh hey! Someone new! Hello Cynical Gamer!

Glad to hear you like it so much- focusing on the other characters is really half the fun in writing this to tell the truth, and I have to say, I'm glad that I took the challenge for writing a 'Good Genderbender'. You're right in thinking that its Jou's relationship with Mokuba that affected his maturity though; kinda pulled his more reasonable and serious side out to the forefront.

Ohhh yes… The Eye scene… I should really draw that scene actually, that was fun to write. I always end up sitting at the computer spacing out when I get to dream sequences (It's my own fault for putting them there, hahaha!), but when I got to the end and said '…So… Now he needs to get out. …Uh…'… Seeing him charge through the thing was probably the first thing that came to mind yea. But oh boy, 'not easy' is definitely accurate! Half the time I end up reading through the chapter scratching my head with self-doubt! It's nice to know people enjoy this though… So I'm obviously doing something right I guess.

Oh! That part… Jonouchi's ability... Can't really say without spoiling. Started as a strange little thing that linked up with how he could actually hear Kaiba while the woman was inside her own soul, ended up growing much larger than that… I'll just tell you that it's really really interesting when we get there. Like... Really interesting.

You're right in that I'm following the original series. You could say that it's going to leave Yugi beating everyone, but at the same time… That's not really the case. For the Duelist Kingdom as an example, we have Yugi getting the souls, Honda getting Mokuba's body… And Jonouchi himself does a lot more than just sit around now that he's forfeited his match too! The orders of battles and who fights who doesn't chance, that's for sure… But even so, we will definitely see a lot more 'spotlights' on the other characters, so don't you worry about that!

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Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner

The section so vain, it has yet to fail in making a tagline for itself! See? Seeeeee?

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Chapter title today~ Is brought to you by the phrase 'Deus Ex Machina'; literally, 'God from the Machine'. It's essentially a giant pun; rather than 'Deus', or the latin word for 'Deity' or 'God', we have 'Mas', or 'Male', 'Man'... Making this title 'Man from the Machine'.

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When Keith attacks with 'Pendulum Machine', he originally says 'Splitting Death Axe!' as the attack. ...I have limits guys. Might be hard to believe. But I do.

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Magic doesn't work against machines? THIS IS TERRIBLE! And... Completely jossed in later duels...

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And so we have Jonouchi VS Keith! Now. I don't know about you, but… The fact that Katsuya fell for all that stuff with Zoa… Well, I guess he was going a bit 'one track' at the time... (Win duel win duel... Go for it!). Anyways, originally, Katsuya tells the swordsman to attack 'with the magic sword!'.

Seems a tad redundant there… Telling the swordsman to use his sword... (Also, notice that Katsuya doesn't once say 'The' insert monster name here. Good reason for it.)

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Obviously some dialogue additions here; mostly for Keith's character... (Which is really not the best form of character in either medium... Though you can kinda like him for the jerk he is in the dub. Everywhere else... NO.) Aside from that, not much changing around until we hit the 'after duel'.

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Stop Defense only works one turn? But then what happened against Kotsuzuka, when it lasted the entire duel? It's called 'new rules as the plot demands' for a reason guys.. Least it's not as crazy as the 'CatapultTurtleFlyingCastle' gambit.

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In the manga, when Katsuya cheers about destroying Pendulum, the words 'TAKE THAT' appear beside him… Where a sound effect would normally be. HAHAHA. AHA. Ahhh… Oh well. Also, that 'sharks grin' really showed up in the manga. And it was scary as hell guys.

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Yea… I used to have doubts about Keith's mental health, but re-reading the duel between these two squashed any doubts I could have ever had… EVER. Hollllly shit… All of that dialogue, for the 'Have you ever seen Hell' scene? That's canon guys! He actually said all that, with the same expressions too! HAAAAAH! Anyways. You just wait until next chapter...

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I find the machine deck ironically symbolic in the way I set this up; what with Barrel Dragon coming up right after Keith's speech on Hell at least… Not to mention the thing's effects. (Anyone for a round of Russian Roulette..?) There's more symbolism I put in there myself, utilizing Katsuya's own 'ability'; the machines before Barrel Dragon were emotionless, completely dead. Barrel Dragon however has plenty of life, as does the Slot Machine… As he effectively represents Keith's current obsession and downfall, whereas he's completely forgotten everything else about the game in terms of 'enjoying' it; Keith wasn't always like this guys… Katsuya even recognizes this in Yugioh R, which is what makes their later duel so important.

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If you didn't guess by how fast the man hit 'Jackpot' later on, I'll tell you now. Keith cheats. But he gets what's his because of it, I'll tell you that much.

As to how he cheats... Apparently he has two 'Complete Seven's in his wrist band... But how the hell did he pull those out while faking a card draw? Arguably, you can say it makes sense here... First time was when he was messing with his shoulder, second time was when he was blocked by a field of smoke. Rather, when his opponent couldn't see two feet past his face. Bawwwww.

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What! Jonouchi played two monsters at once? Well, would it shock you to know that Time Wizard is a spell card in the manga? I know, weird… Sure makes for an easy save on Baby Dragon's part though. Speaking of different cards, Copycat is also a spell rather than a monster in the manga.

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When Keith goes through Russian Roulette again, you only see the shot that hit Baby Dragon… So it's assumed that the other two missed. In fact, every attack the Barrel Dragon makes afterward simply strikes each monster, implying that either Keith has a solid run of 'miss miss hit's, or that Barrel Dragon isn't limited to his Russian roulette.

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Fun fact! Though we don't actually see Jonouchi say 'Tiger Axe', the panel with his next monster getting blown away by Barrel Dragon has the Tiger's head in it. And an axe. …So yea. I kinda guessed… (The next few monsters weren't so easily identified.)

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Yes. That monster Keith had on the field was really called 'Space Megatron'. It looks like a giant hydrogen atom though… As a Transformers fan, this was VERY UPSETTING. Very. Upsetting.

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Technically, the card Keith uses is called 'Seven Completed'. The way he describes the last one though, it sounds like its effect depends on what position you put the card in; you can use it for attack or defense. The official card does the same thing; choose one or the other, and when you have it set, you can't change your mind.

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On a more cultural note! Gambling for money is completely illegal in Japan; creating an interesting way around it. Pachinko, a 'slot machine'-like game where you trade in the small plastic balls from the machines for prizes is Japan's version of the 'Slots' really; you trade the balls in for prizes at the front (Things like canned food and what not...)... And then go around back where you can sell the stuff back to someone for the money. OH BOY GAMBLING.

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Interesting thing; on the cover for the last chapter of this duel (aptly named 'the final turn'), you can see the four cards in Jonouchi's hand; Graverobber, Sword and Shield, Ogre Rock, and the power-up card Dragon Nails. This leads me to believe that it's his 'final hand'… Or something like that... As none of those cards, save for Ogre Rock, were in his hand at the same time. Dragon Nails was drawn and equipped in an instant, Graverobber was placed on the board, Sword and Shield forked over to Keith... Yea.

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You probably got this a while ago when the ability was first explained but... Well... Jonouchi's ability essentially means that all attacks against him are similar to how Shadow Games work. In other words, direct damage hurts. A lot. An accurate version of this would actually be the GX manga's duel between Manjoume (Chazz. TERRIBLE NAME.) and the first of Tragoedia's pawns so to speak. Basically all direct damage is felt in full... And oh boy the guy took advantage of this; summoned three 'sniper' type monsters, who can't be attacked if another of them are on the field, and can all attack directly. Manjoume literally got shot in the shoulder, stomach, and left lung. By the way guys, getting shot in a joint hurts like hell.

Best part though? HE STILL WON. Anyways.

Needless to say, Jonouchi has a slight burn on his cheek right now... And if anyone looks really, really close, the edge of his jacket collar is a little singed.

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Plasma Laser Cannon? But Plasma cannons and laser cannons are two different things!

...Maybe the gun is powered with one and guided by the other? Who knows...

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In the manga, either Yugi or Anzu (I'm assuming Anzu) actually say 'Our hero!' at the end of Jonouchi's match. …Pbbbbbt what! Se... Seriously guys? ...Seriously?

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A note on the forfeited match; while obviously Jonouchi could have cared less about Kaiba's company in the cannon, the fact remains that if Yugi, and only Yugi looses a single match in the finals and semi-finals, not only does he loose his shot at his Grandpa, but the deal with the Big 5 between Pegasus and them follows through. In other words, not only would a match between Jonouchi and Yugi risk exposing strategies, but it would also have the possibility of completing the deal Pegasus made... So not good!

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Originally, at the end of Jonouchi's duel, Bakura and Honda show up. Technically they still did, just that Jonouchi was pulled away to some other room, so he doesn't end up being present for the conversation that the two have with Yugi and Anzu. Pity that.

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And thus begins the divergence from Canon… Lets see what insanities will happen in the next hour… Not to mention after said hour!

Until next chapter guys! Ciao!