God Save Us From The Queen
It had probably been about half an hour since the 'disk thief' had left to get his former opponent. With that in mind, it was probably twenty minutes since Honda and Otogi had left for Osaka, given that it apparently left at quarter after... And when Anzu checked her phone moments before, it was already close to one. Which meant that in about an hour and a half, Honda and Otogi would be... IN... Osaka. Something that he wouldn't have been able to prevent even if he'd run for the station as soon as he found out, half an hour ago.
Lousy little... The blond scowled at the thought, arms crossed as he attempted to push the thought from mind. Maybe if he was lucky Ryuzaki was on that train, and his presence would scare them away. Or that they'd just get lost. He wasn't picky really. (Maybe the train would just crash..! ...Yea not likely.) "Hahhh..." Katsuya sighed, looking down the street as the time continued to tick by. "What th' hell is takin' him so long," he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Another sigh came from behind the blond, Katsuya turning as Anzu frowned. "I'm telling you Jonouchi... He's not coming! You've been tricked," she continued, shaking her head. "All we're doing now is waiting for the sun to set."
Bakura nodded at that, scratching his cheek as he looked away awkwardly. "She has a point," he said quietly, biting his lip. "Perhaps we should just find someone else to duel..."
"Gh..." The blond shook his head, adamant about staying but. "No way," he shouted, turning back to the two. "He's comin' back, tru-"
"So..." Eh? That voice..? "We meet again!" Gh- What the... Katsuya turned, eyes widening briefly as a familiar duelist stepped forward with a smirk. Oh hell.
This... This guy... "Insector Haga..!" The blond swallowed as he stared at the boy, shaking himself as he held his tongue. The sight of Haga was alarming enough he'd admit; a part of him had really hoped he'd been knocked out. But the bugs...
He was literally swarming with bugs... Insects, spiders, all kinds of tiny creepy-crawlies, clinging to the boy's jacket, shoes, glasses... And there was no way they were all real, given the shape of the moth hovering beside him..! Haga chuckled from across the three, stepping forward in the otherwise empty square. "Hehehehehe! Long time no see Jonouchi," the boy said with a grin, clicking his duel disk into place with a laugh. The sides swiftly moved forward to attach at the center, Katsuya watching as Haga slipped a deck of cards into the holder and continued forward. "It's been a while since Duelist Kingdom hasn't it," he asked, grinning darkly as he stopped a few feet from the blond. "You've improved since then I would imagine... But I think you've gone far enough!"
Far enough? As if! Like hell he'd lose to this guy... Though for all the underhanded cheating this asshole did, he couldn't deny this was the former champion of Tokyo... Not to mention all those bugs... Were the monsters just as petty as their 'summoner', or was there something he was missing? Katsuya grit his teeth, stepping back somewhat as he looked over the boy. Even after half a year this kid still looked like the same, snotty little creep who thought it'd be smart to get on his and Yugi's (Not to mention everyone else's) bad side. Why the hell was this guy targeting him though, and not Yugi, he thought with narrowed eyes, continuing to stare at the boy suspiciously. Or Ryuzaki for that matter Katsuya thought, thinking back to his conversation with the teen. If he was really as 'sticky' as the guy had said, why was he here? "You..."
Why... "Jonouchi... Don't give this jerk the honor of a fight," Anzu shouted, glaring at the boy as Katsuya frowned. "He threw Yugi's cards into the ocean," she continued in protest, "You can't forget that!" Tch- Why the hell would he forget something like that!
Haga merely laughed at that however, a wicked smirk in place as the others turned narrowed scowls at the boy. "Heheheheh! My my... To think such a cute girl remembers me so well..." O-Oi oi oi... That was the worst thing you could ever say to An-
Ah, too late. "Gh!" The woman tensed at the comment, putting as much distance between herself and the boy as possible as she gave a shuddering scowl. "Uggggh... You PIG," she growled under her breath, gritting her teeth as Haga in question continued to smirk oddly.
Katsuya snorted as Bakura nervously glanced at Anzu, attempting to get over the number of 'over-protective' insect spirits floating around the boy in front of him. Evidently, they didn't take too kindly to having their 'summoner' snubbed... Not that he care, he thought with a smirk. "Heh... More like a fly," he muttered, the smirk widening into a grin. "Ain't tha' right, y' bug freak? If you wanna fight," he shouted, clicking his duel-disk 'on' with narrowed eyes as it clacked together and settled into place, "Then lets go!"
"Hehehehe... Quick to the punch aren't you," Haga said with a sneer, the bugs around him giving similar looks as his opponent scowled. "In that case we'd better get started, shouldn't we?" Hn! Guess so!
"J-Jonouchi-kun..." Bakura frowned, looking from the blond to his opponent. "Are you really fighting him," he asked quietly, staring at Haga in suspicion.
He nodded, stepping forward with narrowed eyes despite the growing, nagging feeling in his stomach. "Heh! You bet I am," he said plainly, brushing the hair from his eyes as he and Haga took their positions. "What do you wanna bet this is the guy that kid was talking about, th' one who stole 's stuff," he growled, watching as Haga's grin grew in response. Oh... Now that was all he needed to see. It was on. "Tch... I'll straighten y' out wi' a beatdown that'll have you in a body-cast y little rat!"
"Hehehehhe! You think so," the boy said with a sneer, holding his disk forward as the insect swarm around him fled for the deck on his wrist. Within mere seconds what was an entire swarm became a green 'mist', enveloping the deck before settling to the innocent, 'normal' looking stack of cards it had been before.
Nothing too 'weird' after everything else though he decided, pushing the sight from his mind quickly. "Hn! I know so," he responded, a wind seemingly picking up around the pair. "Let's do this Haga!"
"J-Jonouchi..!" The blond turned as Anzu came over, eyes narrowed as she spoke under her breath. "Come on... You know what kind of a person he is," she muttered, looking back at the boy with a scowl. "He has to be up to something... He's too much of a coward for anything else!"
...Yea... Probably, he told himself, blinking a few times. But in all honesty... "...Anzu," he said calmly, turning to the woman briefly for another moment. "A true 'duelist', at leas' by my definition," he added with a nod, "Doesn' run away... From anyone," he explained seriously, swallowing as he continued on. "Only cowards do tha'... An I ain't fightin' alone," the blond continued, glancing at his deck for a moment. "I got friends here righ' with me!" Even though those friends had bad habits of questioning his abilities if they were over five feet tall.
Jerks. "Hnhnhnhn..." Chuckling came through the air in an echo, seemingly resonating from his wrist as Katsuya glanced down. "Damn straight." E-Ehh! That voice... Panther Warrior?
The blond shook it off mentally, holding his duel disk forward as the lifepoint meter reset. Heh... Looked like the Panther was ready to fight again then! He gave himself a nod, the wind continuing to pick up as he steeled his resolve. "This duel," he said seriously, "I'm fightin' for a reason... T' give Shizuka the courage she needs to remove those bandages... An' t' keep my word wi' Yugi!"
Now then... Time to get started. "We'll use the standard wager," Haga shouted, giving the blond a nod as he gestured to his deck. There was no 'proof of prize' with this guy it looked like... "One puzzle card, and one rare card," he shouted clearly, the blond nodding in response. Jinzo and a puzzle card in his case then...
"Got it!" Even if it was double, he'd still be in... He'd be two cards down, but he'd be in. But even so, one was better than nothing... Even if it meant that rats like Haga would still be around after this match. The blond drew his cards, narrowing his eyes at the thought before drawing his hand of cards. "Duel," the two boys cried, disks responding automatically as a slight 'shudder' passed over the 'boundaries' of the field. "I go first," Katsuya shouted, already knowing what was in his hands without looking from the field. He grabbed a card, setting it on the disk as a stone tablet rose from the ground in response. "Get ready," he called out, thick and detailed carving tracing itself out in the stone as smoke filled its form, "I summon... PANTHER WARRIOR!"
The monster leaped out from the tablet with far more speed than previous summons from his last duel. Sword in hand the beast took a few confident steps forward, cracking his neck before examining his opponent with mild distaste. "Hn... Second duel of the day," he muttered under his breath, stretching out somewhat with a yawn. "I suppose I had enough sleep..." Oi oi... What was with cats and sleep...
Katsuya decided not to answer to the panther's comment, instead looking across the field with a smirk. "Heh... This guy ain't losin' t' no bug Haga, y' got that?" 'That guy' also smirked in response to the comment, taking a battle ready stance with a wide and toothy grin. "Gimme yer worst!"
...Alright, given the continuing grin on his opponent's face, that was likely the worst thing he could have possibly said. Hands down. "Hnhnhnhnh..." The chuckling was a bad sign as well really... Not that he was saying anything for the moment. "Alright then... I'll play once face down card," Haga announced with a grin, Katsuya gritting his teeth as a blank tablet appeared on the field. Hated, hated, hated these... "Followed by the Skull-Mark Ladybug in defense mode!" Sku- Nyh?
The blond watched as a small-sized tablet came over the field, the outline of the ladybug carving itself out to the field as noxious green smoke wrapped around it. This monster...? The smoke continued to hover around around the stone, tablet remaining dormant despite the seemingly 'moving' inscription on its form. What the hell was that written at the bottom, hieroglyphs? Damn this sucked...
Though really, a tablet that size... He just had to laugh, he really did. "Heh... ...HAH! You call that a monster," he said with a grin, ignoring the narrowing eyes of the bug on the tablet. Huh... Weird, he thought for a brief moment, it wasn't even summoned... Oh well. "Bugs, bugs, an' more bugs..." The blond shook his head, still laughing as his opponent seethed. Tha' all y got," he shouted, grin widening further. "Ev'n Ryuzaki uses dragons sometimes! Don't y' ever use somethin' else?" Haga remained silent in response to the jibe, a scowl nonetheless becoming prominent on the boy's face.
"I wouldn't laugh if I were you," Panther Warrior muttered darkly, the blond's grin fading somewhat as he followed his monster's gaze. Haga's scowl had vanished for no apparent reason at that moment it looked like... And... Oooh... That grin wasn't good...
Even so, he would still beat that, he told himself with a swallow. "Tch... 'T's my turn," he shouted, drawing another card and setting it on the field without looking. That tablet arose just slightly to his right, a small, child-sized carving with no visible face appearing on it's form. "Another monster," Katsuya announced, smoke filling the lines of the tablet as a figure began to step out from it, "Little Winguard!" The monster hopped out with a shout at those words, sword drawn and shield held at the ready as his tiny golden eyes shone brightly.
"Hah!" Oh hey, he even sounded like a kid... The 'monster' hopped in place somewhat, raising his sword with an unseen grin. "Let's go!" The Panther Warrior rolled his eyes as the 'child's antics, Katsuya merely smirking.
Hehehe... Okay then! He couldn't argue with that! "Panther Warrior," he shouted, the black cat drawing his blade and facing the ladybug 'tablet' across from him with a blank expression. "Attack!" The monster charged forward with a yowling cry, blade grinding it's way through the dust only for him to freeze. It had collapsed easily enough of course; besides the clean 'line' made by the blade, cracks had spiderwebbed through the entire structure, until the entire tablet collapsed into dust.
But despite Bakura's cries, something seemed off. "A-Ah! Good move Jonouchi-ku-"
"AHHHH..." The albino was quickly cut off, Anzu's eyes widening. "J-Jonouchi!" Katsuya turned, blinking as the woman paled. "I just remembered... That card restores lifepoints when its destroyed!" Wait, WHAT!
"Hehahahaaah!" Katsuya turned as his opponent's grin widened, the boy's chuckling growing into a cackle as smoke continued to rise from the tablet's ruins. "Exactly! I must thank you," Haga said with a grin, laughing wickedly as the haze wrapped around him completely. The fog momentarily shrouded the boy from view, before sinking into his body and fading from sight completely. "That just gave me five hundred more lifepoints..! And what's more, I don't take any damage! HAHAHAHA!" M-More life!
Damn it all...! "Tch..." The Panther Warrior turned on his summoner with narrowed eyes as their turn 'ended', shaking his head. "I thought you gained a 'heads up' on these things," the monster growled, Katsuya sending it a sharp glare in response.
Oh sure, this was his fault? All he'd seen were weird symbols and smoke, that wasn't a helpful fact! "Gh- An you don'," he hissed, the Little Winguard shaking his head at the argument as the monster and his summoner both continued to glare at each other.
"Hahhh... And you guys think I'm annoying," he asked with a sigh, looking at the two as he crossed his arms. What? Katsuya turned, shaking himself at the statement with a frown. No! He didn't think- ...Oh. Right... The other monsters...
The blond shook himself out of the monster's conversation, instead watching as Haga set another card on the field. The tablet that appeared on the field this time was again smaller than most, likely about half the size of the 'standard' one. All the same, this didn't mean the detail in the carving wasn't well done. "Hehehe! Now that you're done with your move, it's my turn," Haga announced gleefully, grin becoming still darker as the tablet settled to a still dormant state. "Pinch Hopper, in defense mode," he cried, the blond gritting his teeth as the image on the tablet appeared to turn its attention to the blond. Just plain stone stood before them, appearing slightly worn and faded under the sun. No smoke... Not like the last one, he noted, jaw clenched. Damn it, he really should have known! "Hehehehe..." Haga continued to chuckle from across the blond, his opponent narrowing his eyes in response. "Go ahead and attack all you want," he said darkly, grin taking a fox-like appearance as he spoke. "It's not like you don't have the advantage after all..."
"Gh..." Katsuya swallowed, tensing up as the look from Haga persisted. "Gettin' that fr'm you 's never good," he muttered, the Little Winguard nodding furiously in response.
"Hah... You got that right!"
Panther Warrior rolled his eyes at that, turning to the 'boy' with a slight frown. "You realize he can't say anything back to us right..?"
The smaller monster blinked, silent for a few moments as he laughed under his breath. "...Erm... ...Yes..?" If it was 'yes' then stop talking god damn it!
Aaaaaahhhh... Alright. Katsuya took a deep breath and shut his eyes for a moment, calming himself down before looking across the field with a scowl. To hell if he knew the hows and whys of 'knowing' about this crap, but these bugs... The blond growled, narrowing his eyes as the 'pinch hopper' appeared to give an odd 'grin' from the tablet's carving. Damned pest... He destroyed that grass hopper and Haga would just get another bug..! And for all he knew, that would be the same stupid moth the guy tried to pit Yugi against! He bit his lip, looking back at his hand for a moment and narrowing his eyes. Right now he had Jinzo, Roba's card... He could sacrifice the two on the field to summon him, and he'd be immune to traps, which could mean one less thing to worry about when it came to that blank tablet over there... Not to mention a nice powerful monster on the field he decided with a mental nod, moving to take his turn.
Katsuya reached at the deck to draw his next card, only to jump with horror and shock both as his hands grabbed something other than paper. Hissing met his ears as his fingers gripped a set of cold 'bony' legs, the blond's face draining of colour as he stared at it. "W-WHAT TH' HELL..!" The thing in his hands resembled an insect of sorts from the front, antennae and legs both. Cruel pinchers curved from its mouth, and it hissed angrily at the blond as he held it in his grasp, free legs flailing as it clicked in continued rage. That wasn't what he was staring at though. By the end that he was grabbing it by, the end where he was holding three 'randomly' placed legs, it was something far, far more twisted... Legs jutted from every point possible, slime covered tentacles writhing in his grip and slapping coldly against his skin. It was taking all he could not to drop the 'card' right there to say the least. Not to mention dousing it in his lunch. "G-Ghhh..."
The monster screeched loudly at the continued grip, his own pair jumping back with wide eyes and gaping mouths. "Th- The Parasite card," Little Winguard shouted with a cry, sword falling to the ground with a loud clatter as his eyes seemingly shrank with fear.
The panther as well was backing away, hissing under his breath as his tail bristled and twitched. "This... We've been set up!" Set up! No shit, this wasn't even his- The blond's grip tightened as the 'insect' dug its pinchers into his hand, Katsuya biting back a cry of pain as the wound in question quickly took a sickeningly green tone. Despite the grip continuing to hold however he found himself watching numbly as it leaped forward at the others, leaving a card in his hand as it gave a feral and ear-splitting cry. Within a single moment it had found the weak, exposed flesh of the monsters, giving it the same 'kiss' it had to him. The Panther Warrior was first, the monster landing on its sword arm as the beast raised the blade to it in reflex. "GH..." Little Winguard was next, the mutated 'insect' leaping at its face as the monster attempted to pull it off in vain. Oh no... "GLOAAAR... GRAAAG..." Choking sounds filled the air as the Panther Warrior brought his hands to his throat, only to be forced to bring the right hand back down as it swelled to an impossible size. Tentacles burst from the monster's mouths, Winguard and the Panther Warrior both writhing in pain as the source of the poison settled calmly between the two. Extra legs were breaking free from the gaps in their armor... Pinchers, 'thorns', exoskeletons developing wherever possible...
"Gr... Gaaaahg.." The monsters both fell to the ground as the mutation continued, their summoner's eyes widening in horror. "Raaaagh... Glhk..." They couldn't talk, couldn't move... Tentacles had burst from inside and around the Panther's mouth, pinchers forming from the Little Winguard's unseen mouth. This was...
"You..." Katsuya narrowed his eyes, shaking his head as he attempted to block out the sounds of pain. "What did you do t' my monsters," the blond roared, turning to look at Haga with a snarl. "WHAT IS THIS-" He choked, biting his tongue as a sharp, stinging pain ran through his right hand. The pain quickly grew as he held his tongue, wincing as he kept his gaze on the field rather than his hand. Why the hell was- Katsuya swallowed, paling as a shudder passed through his arm. Why- ...The bite... His eyes widened, expression falling even faster as he lost the feeling in his fingers. Oh shit. 'Shadow of the Eyes' effected him in Duelist Kingdom... Crush Card Virus did the same, and that had happened before that fight..! So if that was the case them, what would happen with... "Gh..."
Haga chuckled from across the teen, glasses giving off an eerie glow as his opponent kept himself from looking at his hand. "Hehehehehe... Parasite Paracide," the boy 'explained' smugly, the insect as well seeming to beam with pride. "Once drawn," he continued with a grin, "It's automatically summoned to the field, infesting your monsters with flesh-eating, mutating worms and making them insects just like it!" Insects..? ...Wait, so then his right hand was- He swallowed, attempting to push the thought from mind. Gh... Not good...
Behind him, the others were speaking... Bakura was first, voice laced with obvious confusion. 'But why would Jonouchi-kun-' 'That's not his card,' Anzu shouted angrily, cutting her friend off yet again. 'Ohhh, I knew that kid was up to no good!'
Damn it, way to prove his beliefs wrong again! And here he'd hoped things would work out for once... The blond's fingers twitched, 'Parasite' moving to along the ground to bask in the sun until it was needed again. "Tch... You little shit," he muttered, momentarily speaking to the monster and its owner both before turning his attentions back to Haga. "Slipping cards in my deck!"
"Hehehehehe... A little late now isn't it," Haga said with a sneer, Katsuya's free-hand clenching on the card only for the blond to bite back a shout at the lack of sensation. Gh-! What the hell happened to it..! "A truly brilliant strategist starts his plan before the battle after all... And my deck as complete power over insects!" Don't remind him... Please. "I can make them do whatever I like... Understand," Haga said darkly, opponent's teeth grinding in frustration as he continued, "There's no way you can possibly win... And frankly you should have thought to check your deck before the duel! Hnhnhahaha!" Rgggg... Katsuya shook as his opponent continued to laugh, briefly wondering if his hand was still 'healthy' enough to punch the brat in the face. "It's a wonderful feeling isn't it," he asked, gesturing to the field as the two mutated monsters attempted to regain their bearings. "A field full of insects..! You mind as well put that card on the field now," he continued with a sneer, the blond growling under his breath, "Because it's going to be there for a long time heheheheh..."
Alright that was it damn it... Not looking at the disk as he set the card into place Katsuya scowled, ignoring the tablet that appeared on the field as a result. Little 'Parasite' looked a little too happy about that, god damned rat... "Trus' me Haga," the blond muttered dangerously, "When this duel 's over I'm gonna show y' just how 'wonderful' it is!" Not to mention what a 'right hook' was... "But it's still my turn, got it," he continued, watching as his monsters gave weak nods in response. They'd fight, even with the obvious handy cap... Panther Warrior would have to use that 'hand' instead of his sword for now... And Little Winguard was having some trouble dealing with the extra legs... Of course, taking his next turn meant looking at his...
Hand... Eh... Katsuya pulled a face, growing green as he turned and looked at the mess the parasite had done. Obviously it wasn't affecting him as much, given the fact that he hadn't been brought to his knees howling in pain... And thank god for that! But from the bite mark down the skin had taken a sick, green hue, fingers mutating into individual 'legs' as his palm became covered in the same thick exoskeleton the rest of his monsters were covered in. And while pretending that his hand was covered in an armored green 'glove' wouldn't have been too bad, it was effectively impossible to ignore the few 'tentacles' that had sprung randomly from the back of his hand. So really, he thought with a swallow, attempting to steady himself with a deep breath, there was no ignoring this. Nonetheless... It wasn't as bad as he'd expected, given that it ended a short way up his arm rather than continuing on. He went back to his hand of cards with a sigh as he kept that in mind, only to freeze as he moved to grab the Jinzo card. No...
He knew it already for the same reason he knew about Pinch Hopper but... The blond's eyes narrowed as a sudden flash came through his mind, wide and enraged eyes glaring across at his opponent as he moved his hand away from the cards. That little rat... The Parasite had a second effect! Even so he held his tongue, instead pointing his monsters forward for an attack. Damn it... Lockdown! Haga had stuck him in a lock down! He couldn't sacrifice his monsters, leaving him crippled! "Tch... God damn it..." His opponent appeared to smirk at the realized 'weakness', remaining silent as Katsuya continued his move. "Panther Warrior, Little Winguard," he ordered, the monsters taking offensive stances as they stumbled on extra legs. "Double attack!"
"Hehehehehe! Realize that high level summoning was impossible then," Haga shouted with a grin, not flinching as the Panther Warrior reached out toward the Pinch Hopper's stone tablet. "Well tough luck again!" Again! Katsuya tensed as the blank tablet began revealing a carved image on its form, watching the image carve itself free as its summoner continued. "Reveal Face Down Card," the boy announced, the tablet breaking into a fine dust before shielding the Pinch-Hopper's hiding place from attack. "Insect Barrier!" The monsters froze as the dust met their eyes, backing away with strangled and choked shouts as it filled their lungs. The dust continued to fill the field as they fled, eventually settling to a stop and forming a thick and impenetrable wall before the monsters, both themselves and their summoner wheezing under the dusts' effects. Gh... Hell even from here it was stinging his eyes... But to add insult to injury, he couldn't attack now either! A continual spell, sitting tightly on the field... "Hnhehahaha..." If he could just swipe that smirk off this brat's face... "You see where I'm going with this," Haga 'asked' with a wicked grin, eyes narrowed as his grin grew further. "The parasite consumes more than 50% of your monster's body mass, transforming them into a new species... What affects insects affects them!" And him as well! The blond held his tongue, instead swallowing back a shudder that had developed with those words. "This spell will serve a nice permanent barrier between them and me I would think," Haga was adding with a sneer, voice somewhat faded as his opponent continued to bite back a scream. No one could see it, no one could see it, no one could...
'All insects can't attack'... Unless they wanted to die a choking, painful death in that dust cloud at least, weakened even without the move.
So what the hell did that make him he wondered, glancing at his hand with weak eyes. He sure didn't feel like '50%' of his body was being eaten away... Hell if that happened, wouldn't he be dead, his organs 'missing' for reasons unknown only to him? Even so... Katsuya shuddered again, head sinking forward somewhat as he choked on the dusty air. "Gh... Hng..." Hah... Hah... That dust was making it hard to breath... Somehow his monsters were doing alright, despite having been brought to their knees, but... "Gh..."
"..JONOUCHI!" The blond jerked his eyes open, turning as Anzu looked at him from the side. "Jonouchi," she continued to shout, voice growing louder as Katsuya forced himself to regain his strength, "If you close your eyes don't even think of facing your sister!" Don'-
He tensed, straightening himself with a nod before turning back to the woman and frowning. "Tch... Moron," he growled, ignoring his hand as it gave another involuntary twitch. "Do you really think I'd give up," he shouted, looking back at the field. "I'm jus' tryin' t' think 'f a way around this!" This being... Well...
This. He looked at his hand again, swallowing back a wave of bile before staring across the field with determined eyes. His monsters... Real or not real they sure acted like it... They were fighting out his battles for his 'amusement' half of the time, taking every loss he'd gone through in stride. And for that reason...
"Tch... Your turn bug-boy," he shouted, narrowing his eyes as he clenched his fists. "Bring it!"
Haga squinted in response to that, pulling a face as he shook his head. "Heheh... Hehe... Tch..." The laughter faded as he opted to stop forcing a chuckle, instead frowning somewhat as he was met with a steady glare. "Don't you ever give up," he muttered, shaking his head as he stared at the blond. "Well," the boy continued with a shrug, grabbing a card from his hand to set it on the field, "This just makes it more fun for me! I play the spell card Insecticide," he shouted, Katsuya watching as a new tablet appeared through the haze of smoke. It was difficult to see the carving appearing on the tablet with the smoke in the way really... Although it had cleared somewhat, it was still proving to be an effective barrier, so when nothing poked through the cloud, he was a little more than surprised. The name though... Well, it kinda gave him an idea of what would happen. "Insecticide will kill any insect, no matter how powerful," Haga explained, opponent minutely tensing as he looked to his monsters. Any mo- "But I'm not destroying yours," he continued, the blond frowning. He wasn't... Katsuya narrowed his eyes, squinting as he stared into the dust before him. The tablet was hacking itself into a spray-can... Pinch Hopper's tablet was sitting directly below it, and within a few more seconds, in front of it... "After all," Haga stated calmly, Katsuya jumping as he realized his opponent's plan, "Killing Pinch Hopper allows me to summon any insect from my hand!" Gh- Shit! The spray-can released its poison on the tablet before it, silence hovering through the air on the field as Haga continued on. "With that in mind," the boy announced, "I destroy him, sending him to the grave to summon the highest level insect I own!" W-What... The highest... "And that card," he muttered with a dark grin, laughing under his breath as he set the card on the field, "IS THIS! THE INSECT QUEEN!"
Quee- It was difficult to see through the haze of the 'Insect Barrier' when the Insecticide came into play, possibly impossible even, he'd accepted that. But in those last moments the barrier appeared to thin even more, allowing the blond just enough vision to watch what happened. Before the spray took effect, Pinch Hopper had clambered out of its tablet, antennae twitching as the insect stared around the field. Within seconds however, Haga's spell took effect; the spray of the Insecticide dissolved through Pinch Hopper's exoskeleton and left behind an acrid scent on the field, its dried husk of a body clattering to the ground and continuing to fade into smoke. But the smoke and tablet both remained on the field, even as the insecticide vanished from view. Merging and building on each other, gathering dust and smoke to move from in front of Haga to directly behind the boy. What was a three-foot tall slab of stone rose to at least ten, the carved image changing, shifting... Smoke was swirling along the tablet's form, digging into the spider-like form as it glowed... Before an alien, mutant beast tore free of its stone, wings the size of cars beating the air as it angrily hissed at its opponents. This... "Greeeeeeeessssssssssssss!" An almost woman-like face and torso met Katsuya's eyes, antennae standing tall on the bald head of the eight-legged beast as it rose above its summoner to leer down at the blond from above. "!"
Ohhhh shit... OHHHHH shit... "Hehehehehe..." Please, for the love of everything stop laughing. "The Queen's power raises for every one of its kind on the field," Haga shouted with a grin, his opponent concerning himself with the size and ferocity of the boy's monster instead. "By 400 points at that! And that includes your monsters," he continued, Katsuya looking back down from the beast with a swallow. Gh... Then the reason for the parasite..!
He quickly scanned the field, eyes widening as numbers ran through his head. "Three monsters countin' Parasite..." Multiply by 400, add that to its attack... "Tch- 3400..!" And if he even heard a mutter about improbable math skills... Damn it, it wasn't his fault if weird 'psychic' powers came with knowing the thing's attack power! "Damn it..!"
"Hehehehehe... NOW my Queen," Haga ordered with a shout, the monster nodding as she turned her attention to her comparitively miniscule opponents. "Attack! QUEEN'S HELL BREATH!" The Queen's mouth dropped open to an impossible length with the command, jaw seemingly unattached to the rest of her head as rows of razor sharp fangs were revealed. A glowing light seemed to come from inside the monster's mouth, and before the blond could realize what was happening a blast of acidic smoke barrelled its way from above the insect barrier's wall.
"G... Mnhhhhggg!" Little Wing- It was aiming at..! The flames enveloped the tiny warrior as he ducked in fear, acid burning through armor and cloth both. Like a match to a pool of gasoline he caught fire instantly, smoke filling the air as the exoskeleton limbs glowed eerily from the inside. Despite the burning however, he never saw his face though... The warrior faced his opponent the entire time, shouts kept almost completely to himself as he curled in and became reduced to ash.
Tch... He... "The Little Winguard is eradicated," Katsuya's opponent cheered, the Insect Queen closing its mouth with a clack. Katsuya grit his teeth as he stared across the field, before his expression again fell. The Queen was lowering herself to the ground, massive form curling inward as she stared at the ground... But why? ...Haga, it seemed, had the answer. "Your monster's left the field," he bragged, "But in it's place, a new insect is born! For with every monster the Queen defeats," Haga announced with a mad cackle, his 'Queen' continuing to stare at the ground expectantly, "One of her eggs is laid upon the field!" M... More bugs..!
As Haga spoke there was a disgusting, slurching noise, a round, slime covered 'sack' falling to the ground. The viscous fluid slowly dripped and rolled off the egg it had covered, small noises meeting the air as the Insect Queen grinned. "...Hatching..." It was... From the egg came more noises, the wet shells slowly cracking and pushing upward as it began to fall apart. The egg cracked further and further as the duelists stared, before a small six-legged 'worm' clambered free to shake itself of the remaining 'goo'. The Queen looked down at the insect with a 'grin' of sorts as the tiny bug 'squeaked', before both looked toward him with a sneer and took their positions on the field. Tch...
Not good... "Hnhnhn..." If this guy didn't stop laughing soon, he was shoving that 'egg' so far down his throat, he would- "There isn't much that can be said about its defense, or even its offense," Haga admitted with a shrug, his opponent looking toward the tiny insect with a fairly disgusted swallow. "But it makes a fine soldier for the Queen... I'll fill the entire field with these little cuties," he continued with a sneering grin, chuckling under his breath, "And then wipe the floor with you!"
Bugs... Tch... "Fuck..." Cute... Hah! Maybe to him... He had words to describe those things himself, but 'cute' sure as hell wasn't one of them to say the least. He drew his next card, keeping his eyes on the field rather than pay attention to his 'hand' as he moved to add it to his normal one. This had better go away when the duel was over damn it... And really, really fast... Katsuya looked back at his card hand, before tensing. ...This card..! His eyes narrowed as he glanced at it, swallowing in an attempt to ignore the 'fingers' that were still just centimeters away. This... Hah... He couldn't attack, he reminded himself, looking back on the field as he grabbed the card again. Moreover, he thought with a grimace, if he played another monster it would end up going through the same hell Panther Warrior was... And power-up the Insect Queen further.
But with this, he thought, setting the card on the field with a faded stare...
"I set a card face down," he shouted, the blank tablet shooting up from the dust at his side. He brought his hand back to his side and out of sight, before nodding as the Panther Warrior stared at the stone slab behind him. "Turn over!"
"J-Jonouchi-kun!" The blond swallowed as the shouts started, Bakura and Anzu both paling as they stared at the field. Who knew what they were seeing, but whatever it was, at least it was 'mostly' field accurate in terms of game play... "You didn't put your monster's in defense mode," Bakura shouted in a panic, Anzu as well giving worried shouts.
No... No he didn't, he thought with a mental nod, but there was a reason for- "W-What..." Katsuya blinked, watching as the small 'Parasite' monster scuttled forward into the 'front lines' to hiss angrily at the Insect Queen and it's child both. H-Hey, was the Parasite monster actually raring to fight..?
...For him? "It's too late," Haga shouted, evidently taking his opponent's surprise as horror in the face of an apparent mistake. "You said 'turn over' and your monster's are in attack mode... There's no call backs," he continued with a grin, Katsuya merely growling under his breath. This guy was way too damn smug... "Hehehe... As far as duelists go, you're worse than my newly hatched insects," Haga said with a sigh, ignoring the building rage of his opponent. Worse than larvae? He'd show him worse than- "Are you ready Jonouchi," the boy shouted with a grin, pointing his most powerful monster forward with a laugh. "It's time for you to lose! INSECT QUEEN," he ordered, the demonic 'bug' already dropping her jaw for attack as its master announced the target, "DESTROY THE PANTHER WARRIOR!"
Heh. He knew it... The trap would only work to defend one monster... Hehehehehe... "It looks like I guessed right," he said with a smirk, the blank tablet hurriedly carving itself out as he spoke. "Parasite Paracide is your monster when it comes down to it after all... You wouldn't attack yer own if y' didn' have t'," he continued, the Parasite in question merely hopping up and down in a taunt of sorts. "So I set a trap on Panther Warrior," Katsuya stated clearly, the two monsters on his field both hissing somewhat angrily as Haga paled.
"You..." The boy swallowed, staring across the field in shock as his opponent made his counter-attack. "You left them in attack mode on purpose... As bait," he continued with a shout, expression caught between shock and rage both.
The blond smirked, nodding as his trap 'tablet' stood 'dormant' on the field. Currently, the image of a 'pop-out' hand was clearly visible on its form... As for the image itself... Yea. He'd lured Haga in for that reason. "Hehehehehe... Damn straight," he shouted, waving his hand over the field as the tablet glowed. "An' now I'm activatin' it... Magic Arm Shield! An f'r th' shield," he continued with a grin, 'doors' opening from the tablet as a spiked 'claw arm' sprung forward, "I'm takin' th' larva!"
"M-My larv-" The infantile bug gave a surprised squeak as 'tongs' launched out from the tablet across from it, pulling it forward to take the Panther Warrior's place in an already launched attack. "N-NO!" Haga wailed as the fired cloud of acid flew forward, the Queen's larva taking the hit and disolving with a small, pitiful cry. Like the Little Winguard before it the insect burst into flames, the fires spreading along the 'claw arm's wood to reduce both into nothing but ashes. "Her own young..! You made her attack her own..." Haga stared across the field with dumbfounded horror, eyes appearing to water as he screamed. "G-GHAAAAAAAAA!"
"Heh! One bug down," Katsuya shouted with a laugh, watching as the final remnants of the trap tablet cleared the field. "Hope y' don' mind if I steal one of yer line's Haga... But you mind as well admit it now," he said with a grin, pointing forward with a narrowed smirk. "You're jus' like yer bugs Haga... Weak!"
"G..." The boy's expression quickly shifted back into anger, the shock keeping him more or less silent as he stared across the field. "Rggggg..."
"Rsssssshhh..." Katsuya's smirk remained in place as the Insect Queen hissed from above, momentarily ignoring the size of the beast as it glowered. Heh... What, pissed off about it's 'baby'?"Fieeeeeend... FIEEEEND!" The smirk quickly died, the blond swallowing as he held back the urge to flee from the spot. Oh hell the Queen could talk. "Noooo MERCYYYYY...!" Oh HELL, the Queen could TALK!
And it looked as though its resolve, vengeance and sheer rage had transferred to its summoner as well. "I still have the Queen," Haga roared in anger, the Queen herself rearing up on her back legs with a hiss. "And the terror has just begun! This is the ultimate insect combo Jonouchi, and you'd do well to remember that," he growled, the Queen behind him giving a fearsome roar as it dropped its draw again.
Tch... The blond merely narrowed his eyes, glancing up at the Insect Queen before looking toward his opponent. He couldn't deny it was an insane lock-down, that was for sure... But he wasn't done yet! Someway, somehow... He was going to do more than just trick these things into attacking themselves! "Hn! You done yet," he growled, drawing his next card and adding it to his hand. "It's my turn!" And his draw was...
Ugh... Katsuya hid a look of disappointment at the Graverobber he'd drawn, swallowing. Not good... He wouldn't be able to get an attack in with this... Shit. He looked back to the field, instead flipping the cards on his disk with a swallow. "I put my monsters in d'fense mode," he shouted, watching as the Parasite and Panther Warrior were both sucked back into their respected tablets. "An end my turn!"
Haga chuckled from across the blond, grinning manically as his opponent growled. "Hehehehee... Nothing much you can do is there," he said with a grin, eyes narrowed to mere slits as the sun gleamed against his glasses. "Now that it's my turn," he shouted, setting a card on his disk, "I summon Ari, the soldier ant!" Another small tablet rose up from the ground, simple carving of an ant appearing on its cover before becoming dormant on the field. Another defensive monster, weak as hell and protected by the barrier... Crap... That left him right where he started! " And now," Haga continued, grinning widely, "Attack, my Queen! QUEEN'S HELL BREATH!" The monster's attack was fired in one instant, acidic breath streaming through the air to strike at where the Panther Warrior 'hid'. One good thing about tablets, Katsuya thought with a wince, the dead silence in the air just as ominous as screams.
He didn't see burning flesh or raging flames... Just a tablet grinding to dust as the acid burned holes through its structure. "HeheheheHAHAHAAA!" Please shut up already. "The Panther Warrior dies," Haga laughed, Katsuya grinding his teeth as the dust flew into his eyes. Rotten little prick... He was going to leave Parasite on the field even when it was his only defense he bet..! "And look at this," the boy continued with a grin, the two duelists both watching as the Insect Queen lowered her abdomen to the ground. Another squelch came through the air, round egg tumbling to the ground as the sounds of hatching already filled the air. "The Queen's laid another egg..! Come on out," he 'sang', the slime covered shell slowly cracking open as a new 'Insect Larva' came to the field. "You're just in time for the show..!" Damn it damn it damn it...
There was no way Haga was just going to avoid hitting Parasite next turn with the Queen as powered up as it was! The tiny insect shook itself as its mother gave a slight shudder, nuzzling its child before turning to face her opponent. "I've got you nnnnnnowwwwwww," it hissed, "Little 'imagoooo'..." Katsuya swallowed as the monster growled under its breath, teeth grinding as the enormous queen lowered down past the barrier of dust to look him in the eye. Compact eyes staring at his... Rows of yellowed, razor sharp teeth bared in front of him. Noxious breath, making it ten times more difficult to hold back his lunch. His future... His future... The blond narrowed his eyes, snapping himself out of his frozen shock.
He couldn't let this hideous monster cut it short! 'Don't give up,' they were shouting from the side right now, voices faded as the Insect Queen pulled back somewhat to allow her 'opponent' room to move. 'Don't give in..!' He wouldn't..! The blond reached for his deck, shutting his eyes and looking at the card before staring with narrowed eyes. Ahah..!
This card..! "Pondering your forgone fate," Haga said with a grin, chuckling as the Insect Queen glowered above him. His opponent said nothing in response, merely watching as the boy continued to sneer. "All your monsters are mere pawns in the great Queen's army," he said darkly, gesturing to the field. "And with the barrier in place you can't even hope to put up a resistance! You know you can't win," the cried, eyes narrowed as he stared his opponent down. "But do you admit it?"
"...No." The blond stared across the field in apathy, placing a card from his hand on the disk and continuing his gaze as a blank tablet appeared at his side. "I don't."
Haga tensed, sneering grin falling as he stared across the field. "W...What..."
Exactly. Katsuya nodded to himself, glancing to the tablet at his side before looking back at his hand. He hadn't had a use for that one earlier... But now... "First I'll set a card face down," he announced in regards to the card he'd set, before taking the card he'd drawn and putting it in place as well. "An' now," he continued, watching as a third tablet came to the field from beneath the ground, "Th' weakness in yer insect combo! I summon Gearfried, th' Iron Knight!" Almost blocky carvings appeared on the tablet's form with those words, each line and detail taking an eerie glow as smoke filled its form. With a blinding light the iron soldier slowly stepped forward out of the stone, the sunlight gleaming off his armor as he drew his blade.
"..." Katsuya blinked as his monster turned back, Gearfried staring at his summoner for a moment before tilting his head. "...What the hell happened to your hand..?" Gh! The blond's grin froze somewhat in response to the question, both he and the monster turning their attentions to their opponent.
"You... You fool," Haga shouted with an almost incredulous laugh, Gearfried in question narrowing his eyes. "That monster is just food for the worms of Parasite Paracide," he shouted almost manically, "It can't possibly..! It..." The boy paled as his words fell short, Katsuya merely grinning as the Parasite's tentacles launched from its stone tablet and bounced off the target's armor. Again and again they slapped at the iron armor, appearing to turn to each other in confusion before continuing on. "No," Haga muttered, the Parasite continuing to have no luck on the field. "NO!"
Gearfried looked at the Parasite's tentacles, turning back to his summoner with a questioning stare. "...Is... This thing stopping any time soon..?" Ehhh... The blond gave a slight shrug, shaking his head. Probably not.
But hey, not like this duel would last much longer right? "Hehehehe! Surprisin' ain't it," Katsuya said with a grin, Gearfried crossing his arms to roll his eyes as the tentacles continued ramming themselves against his arm. "Gearfried's an IRON Knight," he explained, watching as his opponent continued to pale. "Coated completely in metal, leaving no points f'r th' Parasite t' strike... Which means th' Parasite can't infect him... Which means Gearfried's still a warrior, which means he can break through yer so-called barrier," he shouted with a snarl, pointing the knight forward. "Go Gearfried," the blond roared, warrior nodding with narrowed eyes as he held his blade ready. "ATTACK TH' LARVA!"
"Hn!" With a single strike the monster did as commanded, blade cutting cleanly through the insect's body. As a bug, there was little to be said about what was left behind... A bit of strange, brown coloured fluid, a screeching Insect Queen, and a pile of dust. And that was all that resulted, a welcome change in comparison to the usual blood and gore he was stuck seeing each time he dueled. Gearfried calmly returned to his position on the field, briefly looking over his summoner's hand with a blank stare. "...So do you plan on telling me what that i-"
"Don' ask," he muttered under his breath, looking back over the field as his monster shrugged. Besides the topic being one of the many, many things he wanted to avoid, talking to 'himself' was not the best thing to do in front of friends.
And Haga.
To put it lightly.
"A-Aaaaggh... You... You..." SPEAKING of Haga...
The blond smirked, crossing his arms and ignoring the strangeness of his right hand as his opponent grew paler and paler. "Heh! How's that f'r size," he said with a grin, narrowing his eyes as he stared across the field. Those eggs might have been a right pain in the ass, but it was over now... They couldn't defend, they were born in attack mode... And since they only had 1200 points, he could wear Haga down easily! Of course...
That left this thing. "FIEEEND," the Insect Queen was screeching, rearing on her legs as her opponents continued to stare in silence. "SCUMM! LET ME TEAR YOU TO PIECESSSSSS!" Even so, it was hard not to shudder at that. Hi-Hihhhhhh...! God damn it, why could this monster speak!
"Jonouchi..!" The blond swallowed, turning to look at Haga as the boy shook. "Are you prepared to pay the price for angering the Queen," Haga raged, Katsuya holding back a quick 'no' as he glanced at the monster in question. "I'm going to show you the insect deck's most powerful move," he spat, grabbing a card from his hand to set it on the disk. "The 'Queen Impact' strategy! Watch! The Soldier Ari enters attack mode," he announced, a second tablet appearing to the side before 'merging' into the Ant's before its depicted monster could escape the stone. "In addition," he shouted angrily, "I activate the card Multiplication of Ants!" Multipli- From the carving of a single ant the tablet grew, glowing and smoking viciously as dog sized insects climbed out from the stone. One after one the insects swarmed the field from the ant-carving, lining up in a single line in front of their queen. One... Two...
Five...
TEN... "Hehehahahah... Ten Army Ants," Haga anounced as his 'army' stood at 'attention', "Multiplied by 400 points... You know what that means," he said with a grin, Katsuya's eyes widening as he watched the queen grow to an impossible size before him. "It means that the Queen is now UNDEFEATABLE! With six thousand six hundred attack points!" Six thous- Wasn't that just a little overkill! "KILL HIM MY QUEEN," Haga roared insanely, the monster dropping its jaw in response, "QUEEN'S HELL-"
"Hehehehehe..." Haga froze as his opponent began to chuckle, the blond waving his hand over the field. "Like y' say," Katsuya said with a grin, narrowing his eyes as the blank trap tablet carved and revealed his image. "'Yer no better than a worm'... TRAP ACTIVATE," he shouted, his blank tablet 'opening' to allow a cloaked and hooded 'boy' through to the field. "Grave Robber!" Haga paled from across the blond, Katsuya merely continuing to smirk as the robber charged forward to dig up Haga's old 'spell' tablet. It was difficult to see the hooded boy at work this time, thanks to the fog. But in a few moments the thief made his way back with a tablet in both hands, the inscriptions carved on its surface already filling with smoke. "You know what this guy does," Katsuya said with a shout. "An' th' card he's takin' this time," he continued with a dark grin, "Is one that you outta be familiar with..." As those words were said the tablet was dropped to the ground, spray-can cutting itself out from stone as the Graverobber grabbed it in his hands. "I jus' can't stand bugs," he muttered, his 'trap' aiming the can with a wide and wicked grin. "So TAKE THIS!"
A cloud of gas blasted from the can, shooting upward in a geyser-like act as its target reacted immediately. "GRHHAAAAAAAAA! NNNOOOOO! NO!" The spray filled Haga's side of the field, burning through the Queen's exoskeleton to let organs fall to the ground in a splattering wave. 'Blood' was pooling on the ground as the monster collapsed, legs clattering to pieces before disintigrating entirely. And still she cried. "WHYYYYYY," the monster cried, turning its face toward her killer with wide and fading eyes. "HOW COULD YOU... HOW COULD YOU..!" Smoke filled the air... Thanks to the Insect Barrier's dust, the final death throes couldn't be seen, leaving nothing but a hazy figure behind clouds of smoke...
But they could be heard, along with Haga's cries. "N-NO! MY INSECT QUEEN!" The boy wailed as his monster screeched, face twisted in shock. "H-HAAAAAHHH!"
Oh whatever... "Th' game's over y' freak!" He shook his head, cracking the 'knuckles' on his right hand before pointing forward with narrowed eyes. Haga's 'ants' relied on that spell... Now that they and the rest of the monsters were gone... "It's my turn! Get 'm, Gearfried!" The monster charged forward, blade appearing to sink right through the boy's body as remaining dust and smoke cleared the field in his wake.
"Ahhhh... Gaaaaaaaaagh..." Gearfried turned away from the boy as he began to fade from the field, shaking his head at his opponent's mutterings. "No..!" The dust cleared from the field almost instantly as Haga's points fell, the sun appearing somewhat brighter despite the time that had passed. Monsters remaining on the field vanished into a mist as the sky cleared up, tablets following soon afterward. As for his arm...
It was back to normal before Haga fell to his knees, tears rolling down the boy's cheeks. "H-He did it," Anzu was shouting, eyes wide as Katsuya looked over his hand. "He won..!"
"Jonouchi-kun," Bakura called out with a grin, oblivious to the 'real' reason for his friend's grin. "Congratulations!" His hand... Hehehehe...
Hand was back to normal, hand was back to normal, hand was back to normal..! Katsuya's grin was barely contained as he stared at his hand, shaking himself off as he looked to where his opponent was sitting. The duel was over... Time to get his locator card then. The blond walked over to Haga, watching as the boy was again surrounded by the ghostly figures of countless bugs, each one hovering beside their 'owner' in evident worry. So many spirits...
But why were they swarming a rat like Haga..? "H-How... How," the boy was crying, backing away from Katsuya as he approached. "You... You're a mere amateur," he shouted angrily, "You're nothing! My win should have been guaranteed..!" Oh please...
"An' that's why y' needed this," he 'asked', holding the 'Parasite' card in his restored hand with a glare. He tossed it back to the boy, shaking his head as the 'parasite' in question gave him a narrowed glare. "Let me tell y' somethin' Haga... I ain't strong... You're jus' weak! You might've been th' champion 'f Japan at one point," he continued with a growl, "But y' sure ain't now! You love those bugs so much," the blond muttered, narrowing his eyes as Haga stared up with a scowl. "Then prove it! Y' idiot!"
"G-Gh..." A buzzing noise came through the air, Haga looking to his pockets as a phone rang through the air. Phone..? The boy glanced at it only for a moment before wrenching the agreed ante from his duel disk, gathering his remaining cards and holding the phone tightly. "...Gh! T-Take the cards," he snarled through still teary eyes, Katsuya easily catching the Insect Queen and Locator Card as its former owner growled. "I... ...This mean's nothing," he shouted angrily, stumbling to his feet as he ran off. "Nothing!"
Er... Katsuya blinked, holding the cards in his hand as he watched the boy run off. ...Alright..? The blond looked back at the Insect Queen card, wincing as a miniature spirit of the monster glared at him from its cover. "Rssssssssh... Hsssssssshhh..." Oooooh man... This thing wasn't about to forgive him was it...
"Jonouchi!" Katsuya turned, blinking as Anzu and Bakura both ran over from the side, grins on their faces. "Good job!"
"That was incredible... I'd thought you were bluffing," Bakura said with a laugh, rubbing his head as the blond tensed. "I can't believe you pulled that off..."
"Gh-Gh..." Katsuya went red, shaking himself. "Bluffin'!"
"Well you have to admit," Anzu muttered with a shrug, smiling somewhat wryly, "Haga was champion until Yugi won the Duelist Kingdom Tournament..."
Bakura nodded, crossing his arms. "That's right... And while it's hardly fair," he added with a frown, "He did have the advantage in terms of strategy..."
That... That... "Gh... Why I outta-!"
"E-Eto... E-Excuse me..." The three turned, Katsuya blinking as a young black-haired girl stepped forward from the street corner. Despite the weather, she had a rather thin, almost net-like poncho around her shoulders in addition to a long sleeved shirt, gold-rimmed glasses hidden from the sun by her bowed head. Probably in Middle School... But... The girl continued to stare at the ground, apparently reduced to a shaking leaf in front of the three teens. "I... I was wondering... Did a boy pass here," she asked, gripping a box tightly in her hands as she looked up through her bangs. "He has a bowl cut... And glasses, similar to mine... ...He should be wearing a scarab jacket as well, ano..."
Bowl cut..? And... G-Glasses..? Katsuya stared, Anzu and Bakura as well blinking as they looked back to where the boy had fled. ...SCARAB jacket! "Y-You mean... Haga!"
"A-Ah..." There was a short blink, the girl looking up for a moment in slight surprise. "Y-Yes, that's my name..." She quickly bowed, face flushing as she introduced herself. "H-Haga, Sen... Pleased to meet you!" H... Haga had a sister..! ...Who looked nothing like him! "A-Ah... D-Does this mean that you know Katsugi," the girl continued, swallowing nervously. "Did you see him at some point..?"
Again they were rendered silent, blinking a few times in shock. Katsugi..? Whose bright idea was it to give Haga that name? The blond remained silent as he stared at the girl, both he and Bakura sharing odd looks as Anzu nodded slowly. "Y-Yes..." The woman nodded, swallowing as she gave Sen an odd look. "Yes, we did... ...You're his sister," she asked, blinking a few times.
'Sen' nodded, still flushing as she bowed somewhat. "T-That is correct! T-Twins," she clarified, Katsuya and Bakura's expressions both showing steadily more confusion. "Erm... If you could tell me which way he went," she asked, coughing lightly, "I wanted to give him something before he left..."
Left..? ...Sister? ...TWINS? "Nh-" Katsuya stared, shaking his head. "But y' look nothin' like- OW!" The blond rubbed his head, looking over at Anzu with a scowl. "What th' hell Anzu!"
"Just because they're twins doesn't mean they'll be identical," she growled under her breath, Sen merely watching in nervous confusion. "Fraternal twins have different DNA!"
"S-She has a point," Bakura added nervously, before the girl in front of them again coughed.
"Erm... E-Eto..."
The three turned back, Bakura pointing off to the side as Sen blinked. "Erm... He went that way a few moments ago," he stated, the girl following his gesture.
'Sen' sighed, nodding as she gave the three a polite bow before leaving. "T-Thank you very much!" She scurried off at a run, box still firmly gripped in her hands as the three stood there in silence.
"...Man..."
"She... She acts nothing like him," Bakura said after a few moments, shaking his head.
The three nodded, staring at the disappearing girl somewhat blankly. Incredible... "...So..." The others turned as Katsuya blinked, smirking. "Anyone else find Haga's name ironic?"
He should have expected the smack on the head he got that time.
Walking around the city to clear scum off the streets was never a 'fun' job, regardless of what kind of 'dressing up' it went through to hide the fact. Completely curb-stomping the morons who even dared to break the rules was at least somewhat amusing with Obelisk in hand of course, but the fact still remained; if not for the fact that she was still looking for those God Cards, she would most certainly not have bothered, and as it was, most people weren't stupid enough to refuse Mokuba's requests. There was only one person she would consider a challenge though... And she could probably have asked Jonouchi or Mokuba to call him in if she wanted the fight right away. (Though he'd probably refuse...)
Nonetheless, with the God Cards in mind she was currently holding Mokuba's slate, patching into the 'Search Room' in the company building with evident impatience. True, having five people searching nonstop for cards through the disk satellite system was expensive... But the fact was, even without the cards, she could afford it. Hell, she'd put enough into the tournament as it was, but given that the duel disks were already covering the prices and then some...
-fwp- The slate flashed, Seto blinking as she was met with a few of the 'search room'. Aha, she was in.
"A-Ah..!" One of the employees turned, jumping as he looked directly at the screen in panic. "K-Kaiba-sama..!" That tone...
That tone meant no luck had been made... The woman mentally groaned, settling for an apathetic glare as one of the employees at the desk turned to speak to her. "Haven't you found it yet," she asked plainly, the man on the other end of the phone line merely swallowing under the imposing glare. Obviously not of course, but she mind as well have asked... "One of the Rare Hunters in Domino must have the God Cards," she growled, eyes narrowing somewhat as she leaned back against the wall. "They'll be the only two cards without a solid signal from the duel disks," the woman continued angrily, "So where. Is it?"
The man on the other end of the line coughed, paling somewhat as he bowed his head a moment. "We... We're sorry sir," he said with a swallow, shaking his head in shame. "But the duelists have spread over Domino," he stated with an almost begging tone, "And not all those with a disk are even participating in the tournament at the moment... The search will take time," he continued, shaking his head as his boss stared with narrowed eyes. "You must believe us..!"
Hnnn... Seto narrowed her eyes briefly, looking over the room on the other end. She couldn't deny that the search system had a manual aspect that took time... That was the reason why there were people working in the building in the first place after all. But the ghouls were obviously somewhere in this city... And she didn't doubt that they would eventually realize that she had Obelisk...
...And like hell she was letting them get the first move! "Tch..." She'd go after them first then... Hunt them down herself! "Contact me as soon as you find those God Cards understand," she growled, watching as the man nodded and bowed in response.
"Yes sir!" -fwp- The slate returned to it's 'standard' screen as the connection was cut, Seto handing it back to her brother as the boy frowned.
"Still haven't caught the rats then," he asked, tapping a few things on the screen before putting it in his bag.
"Hnp!" No. No she hadn't. The woman snorted, grabbing her briefcase from the side as the two began moving again. "With those men working from the building and the technology we have, it's only a matter of time... Thanks to 'former' resources," she muttered under her breath, "The communications satellite is just as powerful as the US Military's ground surveillance systems..." Possibly the only 'good' thing about building a game company from a warfare manufacturer...
Though as 'small' a thing it was, it still had the two smirking given the sheer expansiveness of the trap they'd effectively made. "Hehehe... I bet they'll never even think that we've laid an entire 'net' over the sky for them," he said with a grin, laughing. "Those cards are good as yours!" Of course they were!
"Hnhnhnhnhn... Of course," she said in response, responding to both statements as she moved. "After all, this entire tournament is a trap set just for them..." And as long as Mokuba was right here, where those ghouls couldn't find him, there was nothing to worry about... Her smirk fell somewhat at that thought, eyes narrowing. Hnm... Ghouls... She was getting those cards from them if she had to rip them out of their cold dead hands! "Let's go," she said curtly, brother nodding as they walked down the street. It never occurred to them that the silent, motionless 'mime' on the bench to the side could be a duelist after all. And it never even registered that the duelist could possibly have one of those very God Cards in his possession.
Moreover, it was never considered that at that moment, the third of the 'Gods' was only just arriving, rather than wandering the city as expected... And despite the ban against motorized vehicles for the day, by the time 2:30 had rolled around the roar of a single engine could be heard clearly in the air. And if anyone was paying attention to the bike that the roaring was from, they would have noticed two things. For one, the rider was more than an oddity, with tanned, dark skin that spoke of heritage from a completely different land and pale hair that proved the young man as an even larger oddity. But more importantly...
There was a duel disk strapped to the side, along with a golden sceptre of sorts. And the teen, with a smirk clearly on his face, seemed to talk to himself as he drove...
"Now," he whispered clearly, those who could hear unable to understand the language he spoke, "Move!"
And a full hour after Seto Kaiba had passed the silent 'mime', the one known only as 'The Doll' took off into a run... The only movement he had made in a full forty-eight hours.
AN: That mime is the scariest thing since... Since... I don't know, Jonouchi's Parasite hand? (I'll have a picture of that up sooner or later.) While reading this chapter, it might be important to realize that scenes that seem random very likely aren't by the way... So keep that in mind.
In any case, you know what's next! Yugi's point of view... And the YugiVS'Strings' duel as a result. Ooooh, I know I'm looking forward to that...
Not much else on my mind concerning this chapter though, so with that I give you...
The Poll Results are Unchanged; you'll need to look at the last chapter for your results there...
Anonymous Review Responses
It strikes back hard, eh Iona? ...Darn it, now I'm thinking that!
Kaiba cares? I know, it's incredible... As to whether or not it's because of Mokuba or not, we'll know soon enough...
And OHHHHH YEA. Ryuzaki definitely caught a break there, though the sudden turn in the mood from 'anger' to 'WHAT- NO.' certainly helped to say the least. You're right to think Honda will more likely take the brunt of blame though; actually, Ryuzaki's reputation might go up next time they meet... The fact is, Honda and Otogi are seen in front of Shizuka for a majority of the panels that they're using up to move from point A to point B. Even... Though Shizuka is blind...
Ehhhhhh...
Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter Iona! And the next one as well!
Finally indeed Randomprojects. Lets see if he catches onto anything else now... I actually had a lot of fun building up the friendship between those two; we'll likely see a little more of it as we go on, despite them not being the focus of the fanfic in any way... (Hehehe.)
And yep~ Well... It looks like it anyways.
And ah, you think? Haha... I just wanted it to be accurate really, I don't think it's that much... And a bewildered reaction? I suppose it's expected; it took me a bit to fully grasp the lack of gendered pronouns myself.
It both was and wasn't Sen's choice; the fact is, she's extremely shy (which is unfortunately a turn on for a number of people...), and the only reason she started was because she was essentially given the choice of not going to highschool or finding someway to pay for it. So...
And hehehe, yea, I had fun with designs... As for why Kansai is evil-looking, that would likely be because she's a dominatrix. ...Yeaaaaaaaaa. Hence the mantis!
Now, I hope you enjoy this chapter! And the next one as well!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that wants its baby bugs back! RWAAAAAAAR! Also, fix this hand please.
This chapter title is brought to you by over-exposure to TV tropes! Though the trope itself has very little to do with this chapter, as the Insect Queen is actually a very motherly monster.
Which will likely scare the crap out of Jonouchi later, but whatever!~
OOOOOOH. I made a big mistake! In the manga, the duel against Haga had more than one puzzle card on wager; both Haga's and Kajiki's duels were two for two locator cards (Which meant that Jonouchi had four, followed by six afterward)… But in the end, this works out fine really; after all, by the end of it, Jonouchi didn't completely want Haga to be disqualified… With one card left, he still has a 'minor' chance. And since Kajiki was still left with two cards after his own loss, it doesn't actually matter too much that it was one instead of two. In any case...
Forgive me..!
For a completely different note now, look closely at Haga's shoes; those aren't laces, they're giant flies.
In the manga, Jonouchi berates himself for not reading the fine-print on the card. Obviously however, now that they're tablets, I can't well have him do that… Besides that though, with Sugoroku gone, a number of the old man's lines go to Anzu… Just to remind you that she does know what some cards do. Bakura gets a few of his exposition lines as well, being a duelist himself as we find out later on.
Speaking of the fine print, what with everything being tablets, it's only natural that the text be in some language that matched... Namely Hieroglyphs. So here's another hint to Jonouchi's 'past life' status; he couldn't read hieroglyphs... And on another note, the same applies to hieratic as a result.
Now here's where things got weird. After all, Jonouchi is affected by any 'all encompassing' effect on his side of the field, something I established a while ago… Hell, he wasn't even in the duels that established this fact! (YugiVSKaiba, YugiVSMai)
In any case, this includes Parasite Paracide, which really had me stumped for a bit! I thankfully recalled however that while the spells affect him, they only do it to a small extent in comparison to the monsters; so while his monsters mutated horribly, Katsuya just got stomach flu and the worst right hand possible. (I've been reading too much of the Parasyte manga as well though, which likely helped...)
Another major difference here in this duel is that Jonouchi doesn't start to give in after the barrier comes up; he's just weakened considerably by the parasite's influence. Because of this, his thoughts concerning Shizuka don't appear during this match; instead, he's fighting for his monsters.
Here's an interesting thing; despite Jonouchi having clearly set the trap and purposely leaving his monsters in attack mode for bait, he actually thinks to himself 'that's the dumbest thing I've ever done!' What, what! Jonouchi, you don't need to fool yourself!
Do insects and other 'bugs' care about their young? A lot don't, but there are a few that do… Scorpions being one of the big ones actually, not that this has anything to do with the insect queen.
I say 'bugs' by the way, because the insect type in duel monsters includes worms, arachnids, insects (Duh)… Lots of things, including things that aren't arthropods.
Haga had a number of lines for calling for attack that I altered, mostly because they felt too ridiculous for the situation. Things like 'QUEEN OF ARTHROPODS!' (Which includes anything with a segmented body and an exoskeleton) 'YOUR CHITINOUS MAJESTY!' (The form of glucose found in exoskeletons)… Yea.
By the way, the Insect Queen stole Haga's line somewhat near the end… And for more info on that line, 'Imago' is another name for the adult stage of an insect's lifecycle. The Queen is calling Jonouchi this because he's technically been infected by the parasite; by her standards, they are both the same species.
So it's a good thing Jonouchi doesn't know what an imago is, because he was already severely grossed out. (And now she's in his deck.)
On a hilarious note, as Jonouchi is putting this strategy to win in place, Bakura's thoughts exactly are this; 'It sounds cool… Even if it's just a bluff.' Poor guy gets no breaks whatsoever…
Haga actually does cry when the Insect Queen goes down… But whether or not that's because he lost or not is questionable. He certainly seems attached to the bugs, given that he's notably upset when the larva, which is fairly insignifigant dies… And in fanfic-Jonouchi's case, he can't help but notice the swarm of monsters with him. Though on another note, they (the bugs) mostly like Haga because Haga knows how to play the game and is probably one of the few to bother with an insect deck. So really, they're like cats in the sense that as long as they have attention...
WH-WH-WH- Sen, what are you doing there? Mostly, she adds space. But also plot, and a bit of depth/shock and things. More importantly though, Haga's sisters might be getting a plot upgrade, as Haga, Ryuzaki, and Shizuka in general will be getting one themselves. Which is weird, given that all three will be in Osaka after Battle City, and the fanfic is from Jonouchi and Kaiba's perspective for the most part… Which... Mean's we won't be in Osaka...
'Eto' is one of many sound effects for muttering. Except it's actually used, and it isn't one of the 'effects' that have you thinking 'does it really sound like that?'. Some people actually mutter 'eto', or 'ano'.
When Katsuya wonders who named Haga, it's because he's misinterpreting the name; 'Katsu' is the far less common reading of scorpion compared to it's common one, 'Sasori' after all, so the first thing that comes to mind is a more common rendition of the word as a whole; 'Katsugi' or 'Carrier', which is present in the word for a superstitious person, a prankster, a black market dealer (All of which are 'katsugiya')… And more importantly, in the term 'to flatter' or 'to put up' (Katsugiake-ru).
Bakura's polite, sure, but he's still human... No one isn't going to be confused when Sen claims relation to Haga, NO ONE; heck, before the Jonouchi VS Haga duel, when we see the 'mime' that Malik has waiting around the square, he yells 'BOO!' in its face to see if he'll move.
It doesn't by the way.
Is the moment with Sen completely random and just made for filler? Actually no; you'll see her present for Haga later on.
So does anyone else wonder how the holograms for each of the Gods were programmed in? Besides Obelisk I mean? …Particularly when the abilities of Ra were largely unknown to everyone but Malik? (…Lets face it, as 'anti-supernatural' as Kaiba is, it's likely that he/she just mentally said 'screw it' when it came to that and just paid attention to the power level.) In all honesty, you can probably safely assume that either Pegasus did another stupid move and did the programming himself while putting in more codes for the duel table, or Malik has inside guys doing the hologram work so that nothing weird happens.
Because really… What other excuse do we have..?
Originally, Malik arrived at 1PM in Domino. However, to help move the timing closer to 6-6:30, I moved it to 2:30… Ta-daaaah.
Before any one asks why Malik is speaking in something other than Japanese near the end, think for a moment. As an Egyptian, why on earth would he be speaking anything other than Arabic if he's just doing his mind-control deal? He's not going to switch to a foreign language to do that!
And in other news, that's all for this chapter guys! I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you next time!