Past the First Gate
Punctuality was, to put it frankly, one of many things that employees of Kaiba Corporation and of the Kaiba family itself were known for and counted on for. They were quick, and to the point, and if there was any 'dallying' they were quickly reminded of the task at hand, making the trait a fairly learned behaviour. It was this and many other skills in fact that, provided the employee in question wasn't fired for some reason or other, would often prove an incredible asset when it came to future job searching. To say that one had worked for the Kaiba Family after all, was to say that one was effectively the 'top' of their position, no matter how menial the position was.
Of course, the likelihood of anyone even considering to move from said position to a career outside of the family in company was next to zero thanks to all of the 'advantages'.
Nonetheless, Seto Kaiba thought to herself at the moment, while punctuality was expected, the speed that the chauffeur arrived to pick up both Seto and her younger brother from their location was almost too quick... And the hurried arrival from around the corner rather than from the garage a number of blocks away had the woman idly wondering if they'd been following her around at all for the last few hours. 'They' being two now very much memorable security members and the chauffeur himself... And while it was expected that she remember quite clearly the name and appearance of the chauffeur, being able to tell which guard was on duty ('again') from the shadow in the window wasn't a very pleasing subject...
The fact was though, until employee training and screening was done, they were still the best she had outside a few other choices. As for whose idea it was to tail her... She certainly wouldn't have put it past any of them to tell the truth, though she wouldn't be saying anything out loud. For now, she was busy answering her brother's questions as he set up a program to keep track of Yugi's current duel; there was no time to bother with employees going the extra mile... And given that the duel was on the other side of the city, it wouldn't hurt to look into what was going on. "Alright nee-sama," the boy was saying from the back seat behind her, the two guards looking over his shoulders to stare at the screen. "I just need Yugi's disk ID and I'll be able to trace-"
"6-10-622-1766," she stated quickly, idly tapping her fingers on the brace around her right arm.
There was a small span of silence, those behind the woman blinking a few times before Mokuba tapped the numbers in; all in all, the topic of knowing certain numbers off by heart probably wasn't the best thing to bring up... And besides that, she would rather not have to bother with questions. In all honesty, by the end of the evening, she'd know six other sets of numbers one way or another... "Alright," Mokuba said calmly, pulling the woman from these thoughts as the car turned a corner. "I'm in!"
Aha... "Good..." Seto glanced out the window as they turned yet another corner, arms crossed as she continued. "What's the status so far," she asked curtly, glancing at the rearview mirror to watch the boy look back at the panel.
"Ahh... The Rare Hunter has 'Osiris' on the field," her brother muttered, the two guards beside him both staring at the screen as he stated the more obvious of facts, "Along with 'Revival Jam' in defense mode," he continued, "Trap card 'Jam Defender' and spell card 'Card of Sanctity'," he stated, the woman nodding as she put that in mind. A card that revived itself, a card that made the 'immortal' monster take attacks, and a card that granted three cards each time a monster came back from the grave... In short, three cards per monster killed, and a permanent shield... A strong play, that was for sure.
Her rival would just have to surpass that. "And Yugi," she asked, Mokuba looking up briefly before glancing back at the tablet. "What does he have?"
"Ah... Ahhh..." The boy looked back at the tablet, before biting his lip as a slight 'beep' came over the air.
There was a small bit of silence in regards to the sound, Odoru's wince clearly visible in the rear-view mirror. "Well," the guard said with a cough, shaking his head, "He had a Buster Blader on the field..." ...Had..?
"It just got destroyed by Osiris I think," Taijin added, Mokuba nodding with a wince. "So... There goes that one..." One way to put it...
"Now he just has Magical Hats face down and Kuriboh in defense mode," Mokuba was continuing, crossing his arms somewhat as he held the slate. Kuri- He still had that thing! Seto narrowed her eyes, frowning as she held back an exasperated sigh. Typical... Just... Typical... Only Yugi could get away with keeping that card in his deck...
Nonetheless, there was likely more that she was missing there. "What about their hands," the woman muttered, staring out the window with narrowed eyes. Maybe she could figure out more about 'God' from the Hunter's cards while she was at it...
Another moment of silence, a few taps coming from on the screen before Mokuba shook his head. "I can't access the Rare Hunter's hand," he said with a frown, eyes narrowing as his sister did the same. "...Weird..." Tch! It figured... The disk was probably hacked into... As to how they'd managed that one... "I have Yugi's though," the boy continued, coughing somewhat as Seto blinked. Oh... Well, that was good to know at least... "Lets see... Dark Magician Girl, Spellbinding Circle, and Baphom- Ah!" Mokuba jumped somewhat, a loud 'ping' coming from the slate as the screen's image shifted. "It's Yugi's turn," he said quickly, a number of other sounds echoing from the back seat. "He just drew Magic Cylinder!"
That card..? There were a few more sounds from the slate, Seto's eyebrows raising briefly as a number of duelists ran past the car in what looked to be slight panic. Oh come on, the storm wasn't that bad... Though she had to admit, the closer they got, the darker the skies... "Kuriboh was just sacrificed to summon the Dark Magician Girl in defense mode," Odoru mentioned with an idle tone, drawing Seto's attention back to the duel as they continued to drive. "And..." ...Annnnnd?
"Wait," Taijin muttered, shaking his head with a frown, "Why did Osiris just attack?" There was a bit of silence at that, Seto frowning as she turned back. Alright... There were things that even she had to question, and adding to that short list...
What. "Osiris attacked..?"
Mokuba nodded somewhat confusedly, tapping the screen for the card to 'zoom in' on the screen while he was at it. "Yea," he said with a swallow, laying the slate on his lap for the four to look at. "Its information sheet updated too," the boy continued. "It looks like in addition to having stats reliant on the number of cards in the player's hand, it automatically deals 2000 points of damage to an opposing monster whenever its summoned..." So it would be completely useless against most four star monsters Seto told herself, turning back to the front.
"Wait we read that wrong," Taijin added, giving a slight cough as his boss raised her eyebrows. "It subtracts 2000 points from the 'command stat', it doesn't just deal damage... Ahhh... ...Yeeeeea," he muttered with a frown, "What the hell is-"
"It's the position," Mokuba said quickly, his sister turning back with a slight frown. It subtracted from the stat count..? "If it's in attack mode," the boy explained to the guards beside him, "It takes 2000 points from the attack. If its defense mode however," he continued with a frown, "Then it takes off from the defense."
"So it'll be destroyed if it's anything lower than 2000 then," Odoru muttered, the guard frowning as Mokuba 'shrank' the card on the screen to reveal the rest of the duel. Seto nodded slightly in response to that, turning to the front once more as the guard continued to frown. "...Isn't... Isn't that monster in defense-"
"Magical Hats was activated," Taijin said plainly, not looking up from the screen.
"It better have been," Seto muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes. So given that there was no news of a monster destruction, it was probably safe to say that there were now three hats on the field... "Did he do anything else," the woman continued, the three in the back staring at the slate with the question.
"Two face down cards," the first of the guards answered, briefly turning toward his employer with a more or less blank stare. "Spellbinding Circle and Magical Cylinder."
"Both hidden in... Hats," Taijin finished lamely, raising his eyebrow at the move.
Mokuba coughed at that, Seto merely staring out of the car window with a slight frown. Yes... 'Trap in a hat'... And just how many times had that particular strategy bit an opponent in the ass? "How close are we to his location," Seto muttered, looking out the window as the canal's sloped walls met her eyes. Simply getting narrations from her brother and the miniature peanut gallery was hardly a proper way to 'see' a duel... And given that she hadn't seen any holograms yet...
"We're actually here," Matsuda muttered, pulling to a stop as the doors unlocked. He turned to look through the windows on Seto's side, a slight frown in place. "Ahh... I don't see anyone though..." Well whatever.
The doors clicked and swung open instantly, Seto stepping out with her briefcase as the guards moved to let Mokuba follow behind. Doors were swung closed behind them as they stood there, the taller looking around for a hint of her rival's location while Mokuba kept tabs on the duel. "The Rare Hunter just played 'Infinite Cards'," the boy was saying with slight worry, looking down toward the canal they were beside. "He's pretty much ensured a limitless stat bonus on Osiris... But where is-"
"OSIRIS," a distant, almost echoing shout ordered, the siblings turning toward the source and breaking into a run immediately. To the left- There! "ATTACK THE HAT ON THE RIGHT!" An echoing roar met their ears in response to the shout, a small voice in the back of her mind wondering whether this surpassed the volume limit on the duel disk or not.
This was the least of her worries, given how close to the duel the were however... Close meaning 'not at all' of course. Seto grit her teeth as she ran, eyes narrowed as she charged past the first bridge across the canal. Holograms were only barely visible in the distance... But if there was anything that they could see as they ran, it was only expected that it would be 'God' that first caught their eye. And what a 'God' it was... An enormous, red-scaled, serpentine dragon, two sets of jaws within one mouth, wings the size of entire vehicles... Mokuba even skidded to a stop for a moment as the two both stared with wide eyes, the boy actually shaking himself as he moved to keep up with his sister. So... That was... Osiris...
"W-WHAT!" The siblings shook themselves as the Rare Hunter's shouts came through the air, continuing to run over to the duel as the 'other' Yugi's voice came from the duel as well.
"I hid two cards in that hat you attacked, along with Dark Magician Girl!" Two cards? Not just one eh... Well that was new. "Magic Cylinder was one," the teen was shouting, clear view of the cylinder in question meeting Seto's gaze as it absorbed Osiris' attack, "And Spellbinding Circle!" And there was the Hat-Circle Trap strategy that Yugi used so often the woman noted, watching as the holographic circle wrapped around Osiris' form. And now that she looked at it...
Since when in the hell did the disk system support holograms that big..? The monster had to be the size of an entire building, the hexagram holding the beast in place twice as large by default...
The sheer power radiating off of this monster though..!
Her attention was quickly pulled from her thoughts on the God card as her 'rival' continued with his move, the teen clearly holding himself up from the ground by resolve alone "Osiris' attack is rebounded," Yugi was shouting fiercely, eyes narrowed with determination. "The God will die from its own blow-"
"Hnn... No." What? Seto raised her eyebrows as she looked toward the 'Rare Hunter' Yugi was facing, a frown coming over her face. The answer was quite blunt to say the least... Though it wasn't the answer that had her frowning really. "Didn't I tell you Yugi," the Ghoul was saying, a low chuckle filling the air as he spoke. "No mortal, 'King' or not, can raise a hand against the GODS! The Revival Jam takes the hit," the hunter shouted, the actions described taking place with those very words as Yugi's face fell completely. Well... That was all expected, Seto thought with a frown, watching as the Hunter drew three cards in response to the play. With the cards on the field, even 'effect' damage would be re-directed as such... But this person, if he could even be called that given his physical state, was... Completely emotionless. There was nothing on his face, not even a twitch, or... Well, anything. Just shadowed, glassy eyes, and a hair-less body. "Osiris' attack and defense rise by 3000," the hunter announced clearly at that moment, the dragon giving a near glass-shattering roar in response as Seto again found herself distracted by the beast. Glossy red scales reflecting the dim light around them, glowing gold eyes staring forward from an enormous head... That... That power... "Oh and one more thing," the hunter drawled, expression far betraying the emotion in his voice as Seto brought her attention back to the duel. "The power of a spell or a trap is nothing against a 'God'... By the end of this turn," he continued with a low chuckle, the words describing a fact that the CEO had long since known about, "The hexagram will be long gone..."
And that would be about...
Now... "My turn," the Rare Hunter announced, emotionlessly drawing a card as Seto looked over the field with narrowed eyes. Without anything else to do, Yugi's turn had ended without him even saying a thing after all... There was no reason for his opponent not to take the initiative. "Osiris attacks..! And with that," he continued, blast of holographic fire and lightening burning through the form of the monster and eradicating it completely, "The Dark Magician Girl dies!"
"G-Ghh..." It was easy, at least for her, to ignore Yugi throwing his arm above his face in defense as fire filled the air before them. The flames were even more realistic than she could have ever expected from the duel disk, the heat from the attack appearing to scorch the ground itself. Amazing...
Amazing... Nine thousand attack points now, it was an almost perfect strategy and... And... Seto tensed, turning from Osiris as a faint 'thump' noise tore her attention from the sheer power of the monster before her. No. Her eyes widened briefly as the flames vanished, revealing Yugi's slumping form clearly. No, no, no, no, NO! "Gh..." NO! "Get on your feet YUGI," the woman shouted, staring at her rival's form as the teen fell to his knees. No... He couldn't possibly be thinking of just giving in..! She watched as Yugi turned, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms with a growl. Osiris was powerful yes, but it was hardly worthy of the hands it was in now! If she was getting this card, she was getting it through Yugi! And no one else! "Your life as a duelist doesn't end here," she continued with a snarl, Yugi slowly pulling himself up in response. "Understand!"
Beside her Mokuba nodded, looking at the teen near the canal with a slight, yet fierce frown in place. "YUGI," he was shouting, leaning on the sidewalk railing as he cupped his hands. "You have to face off against Nii-sama got it? So don't even think of losing to this baldy!" Hn! That was one way to refer to the 'rare hunter' there...
Silence was the siblings' response however, with Yugi merely struggling to his feet and staring at the ground. Tch... So he was actually giving in..? "Yugi... You are one of the few people in this world that I recognize as an opponent, understand? So where is your pride," she 'asked', expression gradually growing more and more incensed as she spoke. "I won't allow you to lose miserably while I watch... Unless you think that I'm actually willing to believe, for some pathetic reason," she spat angrily, "That this scum is better than you!" More silence came, the winds of the storm blowing about viciously as her coat billowed out behind her. Silence... Just endless silence... She was not going to let him ruin this! There was only one person who could defeat Yugi... And that was her! And like hell she was standing for anything other than that! "Yugi," she growled, fists clenching as her rival continued to stare at the ground. "If 'God' stands in your way then MOW HIM DOWN, with no regrets! TAKE HIM OUT!"
And if he didn't take those words to heart she muttered to herself in the back of her mind, her brother merely watching below to see what Yugi's reaction would be...
Then what the hell kind of rival did she have?
The last attack from Osiris had been just as painful as the first, to say the least. The flames had wrapped around and through the Dark Magician Girl, searing the ground and blinding his eyes. Even when the 'automatic' attack blasted through the Magic Cylinders, missing the teen and his monster completely it had been far too painful to simply be 'light'. More of an unbearable, concentrated blast of energy... And yet at heart, he knew that this had nothing to do with himself, with the dark powers from the puzzle around his neck, or even the monsters of his deck. This wasn't tied to what ever powers drew from the duel monster's realm... No... Somehow, he had a feeling...
The 'God's question of 'worth' was not merely words. Somehow this was a test of strength... And one that he simply could not win. But while that realization struck him, weakened body falling to the ground on his knees...
"Get on your feet, YUGI!" Kaiba was here. She was standing at the side of the canal with a scowl on her face and her eyes blazing with unbridled rage. And in addition to that, her brother was standing beside her, his own eyes wide as he scowled and shouted for him to stand...
...Hn..!
...Like hell he was losing... The woman was right he thought with a mental nod, pulling himself to his feet with a small grimace. If God was in his way... Then he would do exactly as he had vowed to do before, when this match had started! "Alright Kaiba," he said with a nod, resolve again restored as he adjusted the disk on his arm. The teen looked forward with narrowed eyes, gaze turning briefly toward the enormous beast that was Osiris as he straightened himself out into a braced 'duelists' position. "Watch... I... Will defeat GOD!" No matter what, no matter what... Regardless of what was yet to come, he would overcome this 'challenge'! "Are you ready Malik," he shouted, voice almost coming out as a snarl as he drew his card. "It's my turn!"
And to decide that turn... The teen swallowed, looking over his options as he added the card to his hand. He had Baphomet and Big Shield Guardna from before, neither of which could even hope to stand a chance against Osiris for the moment... And from this move, Monster Reborn...
Well, he thought with a nod, no sense in delaying the turn then... "I set a card face down," he announced, sliding the spell card into its slot and watching as the holographic 'sheet' appeared across the field. "And next," Yugi continued with a shout, taking a second card from his hand before setting it on the disk, "I summon Big Shield Guardna in defense mode, ending my turn!" And with the summoning of a monster he thought with a swallow, Guardna in question ducking behind his shield with a slight grunt. Came this...
"Knhnhnhnhn... Osiris' effect activates," Malik said somewhat smugly, his opponent swallowing as the dragon-God reared its head to fire the attack. The heat was already beginning to burn across his face, Yugi closing his eyes as the attack was fired forward. Gh..! "You should be glad," he said with a near cackle, the Kaiba siblings merely watching from the side as the blast blew around the target's shield to wear away at Guardna's defense. "Thanks to the defense power of your monster," he continued with an audible sneer, "It survives the first attack... But for its next one, it won't stand a chance! I draw," he shouted, the doll doing just that as Osiris' power grew further in power, "Giving Osiris TEN THOUSAND attack points!" Ghk... It was one thing when it was still a four digit number, but hearing the word 'ten-thousand' still had the unwanted effect of sending a shiver down his spine to say the least.
"T-Ten thousand," Mokuba was muttering from the side, turning to his older sister with wide eyes. "N-Nii-sama," he asked with obvious worry, swallowing nervously as he continued, "How is he supposed to beat something with infinite attack power..!" Gh... Some... How..?
Damn it... The teen grit his teeth, wincing as the doll across from him waited for the automatic attack to clear from the field. If he ran out of monsters and Osiris' attack struck him head on... He was 'dead', figuratively and possibly literally..! "Yugi... LISTEN," Kaiba abruptly shouted, the teen turning as his rival continued. "NOTHING is infinite," the woman roared, Yugi frowning in response. Nothing is infinite... "It's just God's deception," she continued loudly, "An illusion of power!" Deception...
An illusion... "OSIRIS ATTACKS," Malik was shouting as Kaiba's own calls were drowned out by the surrounding storm, the flames roaring past to destroy the monster beside him in a wave of holographic light and ash. The card behind the monster followed just as quickly as the monster did, leaving nothing but his face down card on the field. "Big Shield Guardna is destroyed! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!" This laughter was really beginning to grate on his nerves... "What do you two think you're babbling about," the voice was cackling, his opponent merely waiting for the attack to dissipate as he closed his eyes. As calm as he was now that he had the answer, that didn't change the heat from Osiris' attack... Nor did it change the fact that he was technically surrounded by fire. "'Nothing is infinite'? This is the power of GOD you're talking about," Malik laughed, the doll's blank expression slowly becoming clear as the flames vanished. "Yet you have the gall to believe those words..!" Hn...
Nothing is infinite? Hah! The teen chuckled to himself somewhat, shaking his head as he looked across the field. "Hnhnhn... I see," he muttered, blinking slowly as the last attack finally cleared from the area completely. "Kaiba," Yugi shouted, glancing at the woman as a smirk came over his rival's face. "Thank you... I know how to defeat Osiris!"
The look on Kaiba's face was enough to say that she expected nothing less really... As for her brother, he was currently staring somewhat incredulously as he nodded. "H-Hah... Alright," Mokuba shouted from the side, a grin slowly coming over his face. "Go for it, Yugi!"
Hn! He would... Yugi narrowed his eyes as he stared across the field, the winds from the storm almost visible as they blew around the two. "Listen carefully Malik," he said calmly, thunder pealing in the distance as he spoke. "My next turn... Will quite likely be the last turn of our duel. And at the end of it," the teen continued, eyes narrowing further as he swallowed back a slight wave of unease looking at Osiris once again, "Only one of us will be left standing... The winner!"
". . ." ...No answer...? No, he noted with a slight frown. Just a near silent one... Which was steadily rising in volume. "Hnhnhn... Hnhnhhahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! Have you lost your mind," Malik asked with a roaring laugh, the doll merely standing in its same straightened pose as 'he' spoke. "You think you can dig yourself out of the grave within one turn," he asked sarcastically, still howling with laughter as his opponent stared in silence.
Could he do it? "Of course," he answered plainly, a wave of silence coming from the doll in response. There was one card in his deck he could use for this after all... Just one... If he didn't draw it, then he would have no monster to defend him next turn. If he did draw it however... ... He would draw it, that was all that mattered. "Now then... I'll take your silence as a sign that your turn is over," he muttered, moving to draw his card with closed eyes as he took a deep breath. "So..." The card... The teen swallowed, pulling it from his deck with baited breath before slowly opening his eyes to look at what was in his hands. This... This card was...
This was what he needed. "...Heh... Malik," he called with a smirk, the expression widening to a slight grin as he gripped the card. "I win."
Only a fraction of a second was needed for his opponent to respond to that. "W... What...!"
Hn! Was it really so surprising? Yugi merely steadied his gaze, slipping the card into a slot on the disk as he activated his other spell. "Here I go," he shouted, the first face down card swinging upward to shine a brilliant light across the field. "First I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back the Buster Blader from the grave," the teen announced, the card vanishing to create an immense beam of light above the ground.
"You- Hah!" Malik's shock was quickly replaced with amusement, the voice laughing wildly as his opponent held silent. "Run out of meat shields then," the 'doll' shouted with a laugh, watching as the warrior arose in a pillar of light, "You realize that this only saves you for one more turn don't you!"
"I only need one turn," the teen responded with a smirk, crossing his arms. The warrior as well took a more relaxed stance for his challenge, arms crossed as his blade sat across his back. "Buster Blader is in Attack Mode," Yugi continued, the smirk vanishing into a challenging glare. "I told you Malik; this duel will only last for one more turn... Because this is a combo that surpasses even the limits of GOD!"
"Surpasses the limits of..." There was a small span of silence, Osiris' effect put on hold for the effects of the other cards on the field to take place before it. "Khnh... HAHAHAHAHAAAA! You really are completely insane aren't you," Malik roared, laughter filling the air to the point that even the storm above seemed to pause to join in. "Beyond God? You think that your strategy suprasses GOD," the voice asked, tone clearly laced with incredulity. "You can't surpass GOD! Your own move just activated my spell, you've given me three more cards," he continued with a cackle, doll's mouth wide and gaping to allow the shout through his lungs and throat. "Osiris' attack is now THIRTEEN THOUSAND points in total! You've doomed yourself," the voice howled, laughter echoing and sounding over the crashing thunder above, "But first... Your summoning activates Osiris' automatic attack!" With those very words Osiris roared, a blaze of fires charged under its first mouth before firing forward. "Your monster may survive that," Malik was continuing darkly, Yugi merely grinding his teeth as the Blader stumbled under Osiris' stinging flames, "But with little over a thousand attack points, my win will be a complete land slide... Do you still intend to attack," he 'asked, chuckling as his opponent narrowed his eyes. "Do you still intend to charge forward with this foolish bravado of yours? You can always switch to defense mode," the voice continued with a low laugh, "And save yourself one more time..."
Tch! As if he was running! "Who do you think I am," Yugi snarled fiercely, a scowl set on his face as his monster gripped his blade and held it forward. "The Buster Blader remains in attack mode! And more over," the teen continued with a growl, "He attacks! Go Buster Blader," he ordered, pointing the warrior forward as the swordsman charged, "Attack Osiris, and end the turn!"
As the warrior charged across the field, more laughter filled the air. "Pbbbffttt! How many times... How many times are you going to make this mistake," Malik howled, his 'slime' monster already jumping in front of Osiris to take the Buster Blader's attack. "Jam Defender activates," he shouted with an almost snarling tone, "Revival Jam takes the hit, and in response to the monster's death, I draw three cards! You can't even reach God Yugi," the doll continued with an audible sneer, drawing his three cards with those very words. "And for all the pointless sword swinging you've done, what do you have to show for it?" A good question. As to the answer...
"This," Yugi said with a sinister grin, watching as the Revival Jam's droplets floated about the field while its owner drew his next card. "I didn't forget my earlier mistakes," he continued with a smirk, activating his final face down card with a small click. "I've been waiting for this moment... Activate the spell Brain Control," he announced, the card swinging upward to work its magic across the field.
More laughter filled the air, even Osiris appearing to stare confusedly at the spell as the light from the card filled the field. "Brain con... Hnhnhnhnha! So that's what your so-called plan is," the voice laughed, providing an even eerier contrast between the tone and the doll's face. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble Yugi, but I've already told you... Spells and Traps don't affect God for at all as long as they normally would," he shouted, the God that swirled about him merely staring in close-mouthed silence. "And in the case of a single-turn card," Malik continued with a laugh, "It doesn't work at all! Osiris moves to attack Buster Blader," he roared, the dragon's mouth dropping open to charge a blast of red hot flames. "This is the end..!"
"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Indeed it was. "Now," he said quietly, "Who said I took control of Osiris," Yugi asked, the sound of a quick 'eh?' coming over the air as he grinned. "Malik," he began, low chuckling coming from himself rather than his opponent for once, "The Monster I took control of was your Revival Jam... Take a look," he continued with a grin, gesturing to the card that had appeared in front of his Brain Control spell. The droplets of slime that covered the field from the last turn were now converging in front of him, slowly building a shield. "The monster regenerates on my side of the field," Yugi shouted clearly, "And from Osiris' effect takes an automatic attack before your targeted one can take place!" A roar of flames passed by as he said those very words, the Revival Jam disintegrating to a mere droplet before growing back to its original size. "And with its come-back, there's your cue! Draw three cards with your spell's effect," he 'ordered' pointing almost accusingly at the doll that stood across from him.
"Draw- ...Hnhnhnhnhn... Very well Yugi," Malik decided, his doll doing just as 'commanded' as the voice chuckled. "Seeing how this can only help make your defeat all the more sweet by strengthening God's power..." Well, whatever helped him get over this... "Well now! With that done and over with," the voice called out, "Osiris continues his attack on-"
"Now hold on," Yugi said with a wicked grin, pointing toward the regenerated Revival Jam. "You're not finished just yet; Revival Jam just revived itself," he pointed out with a short chuckle, "And it's still your turn... He's still under my control," the teen continued darkly, "Which means Osiris' effect activates again!"
"Again..." Horrified silence filled the air as the dragon-God fired its attack, again destroying the Jam in a blaze of stinging and endless flames before it grew back to its original state. Gh... Even with this shield here, that attack stung terribly... If not for the sheer distance between Osiris' head and himself... Gkh... The teen shook himself, listening as his opponent continued to mutter to himself in dull horror and shock. "It activates aga-..." More silence, the doll merely staring as the monster sat on the field, waiting for its former master to complete the 'round' it had started.
"Draw three more cards," he 'reminded' his opponent, the doll doing so as the silence continued to fill the air. Droplets from the fallen monster repaired with the action, the slime monster shaking itself as its hologram shimmered with artificial light. "And with Revival Jam's re-appearance," the teen continued, watching and inwardly wincing as Osiris again charged up a blistering wave of fires in its mouth.
"GRAAAAAOOOOOOO!" Another attack came through the air, the monster's owner still silent with horrified realization as the Revival Jam again melted and revived..
"...Gh... H... FUCK," the 'doll' roared, drawing three cards in the same eerie emotionlessness it had held the entire duel. "You... An INFINITE LOOP!" Of course! But hnn...
He swore... That was interesting. "Hn! That's right," Yugi announced, feeling no need to 'remind' his opponent of the events on the field as the doll slowly but steadily wore away at the deck. Fire, revive, draw, fire, revive, draw... Beads of sweat were running down the sides of his face, sticking uncomfortably to his clothes as he stood in place. "And in one turn," the teen continued with a frown, "By your own hand, Osiris' 'infinite' attack will reach its limit... But I should correct myself," he stated, frown deepening as the doll's cards began falling to the ground from his hand, the man unable to hold them all within one thin and bony palm. "Osiris' power was never 'infinite'... It was bound by one key thing... The number of cards in your deck!"
"Nnn..." The last card fell to the ground, the doll reaching at the deck as Revival Jam revived for the final time only to drop his hands to the side. "NO!" ...Yes. With that single shout the cards on the field vanished from sight, the duel-disk turning off as it ran out of cards to hold. Even Osiris, large as he was, began to disappear, albeit at a far more delayed pace than the instantaneous reaction resulting from the duel-disks shut down... Even the skies above seemed to clear almost instantly as the doll collapsed to the ground, the sun peeking through the clouds as the storm quieted.
"...I win," Yugi stated plainly, the once fierce winds softening to a cool and rewarding breeze that soothed the minor burns sustained under Osiris' onslaught. And that was it... He...
He had defeated...
"Well done," a deep and powerful voice stated, the tone seeming more calm than frightening now that the duel was over. Yugi paled at the sound, looking up as Osiris translucently hovered above the field in its still delayed disappearance. It... It was still there..! Even after the duel was complete, and the storm had passed..! "LIFE and DEATH, that which I was once given command and control over... Little King," Osiris boomed, snake-like coils swirling in a seemingly endless spiral through the air, "My POWER is now YOURS... But be warned," he continued lowly, "For this is not the end of your TRIALS... Your JOURNEY has only JUST begun... Use my power WELL, Little King," the dragon warned, fading out of sight as its rumbling words became mere whispers on the wind, "And use it wisely..." Use it...
It was as though a book had just been dropped over his head at that moment, that last statement. As though the realization had only now just come into place, Yugi's eyes still wide and unblinking as he slowly looked back at the ground while Osiris vanished.
...He...
He'd defeated a God...
He'd 'passed' the test. And moreover, he realized, slowly looking to the side, it was all because of...
Her.
"H-Hah..." The reactions that the Kaiba siblings had to the Rare Hunter's defeat appeared quite mixed, despite the overall feeling of relief that the taller would very much deny ever having. The feeling was at least voiced clearly by her brother however, who was currently looking below at the canal walkway with wide eyes. "He... He did it!" Well of course he did, the woman was telling herself, but even so she couldn't help but hold that particular snarking comment back. Mokuba grinned as Yugi's opponent collapsed face first to the ground, the boy hopping the side of the rail and sliding down toward the canal with a laugh. "Congratulations," he continued to shout, his older sister momentarily glancing at the Rare Hunter before looking back. "Hahaha!"
Yes... He had 'done it', hadn't he... Seto remained silent as her rival turned toward her, eyes narrowed for a moment as her brother moved to grab the 'ante' from the Rare Hunter. The power of a God card... A power only a few could possibly be worthy of wielding, let alone able to defeat. A power that, like herself she thought minutely, her rival now had in his grasp, in his deck... "...Hnhnhnhnhn..." A smirk came over the woman's face as she stood there, eyes narrowing in mirth as the thoughts cleared into a single, steady plan. Well... Her rival was nothing short of 'the best' really... After all, the woman thought, smirk widening just slightly in an eerie light, if he wasn't at her level then what point would their be in facing against each other?
"H-Hey," Mokuba muttered from the canal side, Seto blinking as the boy's voice continued to waver through the air. "What's wrong with this guy anyways..." The woman turned as Mokuba tapped the ground beside the Rare Hunter's head, her smirk vanishing as she took in the sight of the collapsed body. A good question... After the duel end he'd simply collapsed, like a marionette with cut strings... No move to protect himself from harm, catch himself... He'd merely fallen. "Is... Is he dead," her brother was asking as Seto thought this, slowly pulling the disk from under the body's form with a disgruntled look on his face. "E-Ehh..." Hnnn...
She narrowed her eyes, briefly meeting her brother's gaze before giving an uncaring snort in response. His chest was rising, he was fine... They needn't bother with anything else concerning scum like the Ghouls really.
"R-Right," came a muttered response to her own silent one, her brother looking back to the evidently alive body. Mokuba shook himself as the bone-thin man continued to sit motionlessly, pulling the card from the disk by two careful fingers before grabbing the locator card that had been stored in the bottom of the device. A few nervous moments passed, the boy edging away from the body before giving a loud sigh and turning back to the others. "Alright! Yugi," he shouted, moving swiftly toward the teen with a wide and again cheerful grin. "As the Battle City's 'Steering Committee Chairman', I'll be judging the ante for this fight, understand?" The boy's grin continued to grow, his older sister silently shaking his head. Yes, he was certainly proud about that wasn't he? ...Even with all the time's she'd told him the title was the same as it always had been...
Well, she supposed it was all in the actions rather than the words really, a thought that was abandoned fairly quickly as she turned her attentions back to the two below.
Yugi, for his part, appeared to be in some sort of state of shock at the moment really, merely walking toward the boy and nodding as Seto's brother held the cards forward. "Alright," he muttered somewhat blankly, holding his own hand out.
The teens watched as Mokuba continued to grin, handing the cards over to Yugi with a nod before softening the expression to a more natural, smirking sort of smile. "Here you go," he said plainly, crossing his arms as Yugi took the cards from his hand. "As the winner," the boy continued, "You are now the proud owner of the God Card 'Saint Dragon Osiris'! Tadaaaa..!" ...Sometimes she had to remind herself that Mokuba was twelve really... (Though maybe that was just her...) "In addition," Mokuba said with a smirk, Yugi simply looking over the cards in his hand rather numbly, "You receive another puzzle card... You better hurry up," he said with an again growing grin, chuckling under his breath as Yugi looked to him in slight confusion, "Katsuya-nii and Nii-sama are already way ahead of you!"
"Ah-!" The teen blinked, staring at Mokuba a moment as he registered those words. "Jonouchi is-!" Yes, the Mutt had five cards and was raring for his sixth...
...She was still far far ahead of Jonouchi though, damn it! ...
...
...Alright she was tied with the dog. A low growl came under her breath at the thought, Seto momentarily glaring at an empty spot in the air. But if anyone even thought of mentioning that out loud... The woman blinked, frowning as a somewhat familiar feeling came over her. This... She watching as Yugi reloaded his deck and turned back toward her with a challenging look. Ahhh... That's right... As competitors in this tournament, a match right there was effectively written in the rules... She certainly doubted that her soon to be opponent would refuse after all. The woman swiftly hopped over the fence, skidding down toward the canal before coming to a stop and adjusting the duel disk on her wrist. "Are you ready," she 'asked', walking toward her rival with a challenging nod. Her opponent as well returned the gesture, slipping the card into his own deck to allow the auto-shuffle to take place while Mokuba gaped.
"N-Nii-sa- ...Seto-niisama," he asked incredulously, gesturing to Yugi as he shook his head. "You're fighting him now!" The woman merely held her stare, the expression giving more than enough of an answer for the boy. Of course she was; he was right here after all, so why the hell would she pass up this opportunity? Mokuba frowned, looking back up toward where the car was parked before continuing. "But what about-"
"...Yugi..."
Without warning the body behind her brother sprung to its feet, arms hanging limply at its side as it stood to face the three. "G- GHAAA! W-What the..." Mokuba hurriedly stumbled away from the ghoul, shaking as he stared at the man's blank eyes. "Why the hell..." The boy shook his head, choking back a few words as he scrambled to his feet again. "I thought you were out cold!"
Evidently not, though that formation of veins was certainly an... Interesting sight... As far as she recalled, there weren't any veins or arteries combined that could make the shape of an...
...Eye...
Like in Egyptian myth...
Or Pegasus' eye... And every other thing about that country that she was beginning to abhor.
...Fuck her life.
Yugi turned to follow the Kaiba siblings' gaze, a smirk coming over his face as the doll stood before them. "Hn! Give it up Malik," he said plainly, the ghost-white man before them almost swaying in the wind before them. "I won your God Card fair and square, and we both know that your 'doll' is too weak to hold up your threat..." Threat? She would have to talk to Yugi after this...
Damn it...
"Oh please..." The woman pulled herself from thoughts of grudging responsibilities, narrowing her eyes as the doll continued to speak before them. "As though I would be so pathetic," the ghoul, 'Malik' according to Yugi, stated through thickly accented Japanese. This tone... Seto's eyes narrowed further as she listened, gears clicking away in her mind as she attempted to piece the memory. This pattern of speech, she'd heard this before... But where... Again her thoughts were cut short, the woman frowning as Yugi's former opponent continued to speak. "I didn't even think of that," the man was saying calmly, the different in tone and emotion all the more evident up close. "Besides," 'Malik' continued, "I know that I'll be getting it back soon enough... I merely wanted to tell you something," he said with an almost drawling tone, Seto narrowing her eyes. Because it was always 'good' when someone with this tone said that right? (Hell she'd used this tactic...) "I am coming toward a very specific location of this city, known only to myself... Once I do that," 'Malik' stated almost instructively, "My plan will be set into motion..."
Plan..? Seto's expression soured even further with those words, arms crossed as she stared at the man. She'd already realized that dealing with Ghouls was something she would have to do. But dealing with Ghouls specifically targeting her rival?
Why. Why did he attract this bullshit! "As of now," 'Malik' was continuing on, Yugi and the Kaiba siblings both listening intently with distaste, "I can see three things, like the three-way broadcast of a security monitor... I see a trembling boy, standing beside the one who defeated me," he began, Mokuba visibly tensing and scowling at the word 'trembling' before stepping back beside his sister, "I see the streets of the city, bare and open, with numerous people passing me by at top speed..." Top speed... Hn. Besides the bizarreness of this 'three-way' boast, that probably meant something motorized... Which meant, in a city blocked of most traffic, this person would be found easily. And for the third one..? "And in my final view," the ghoul stated with a low chuckle, as though to answer Seto's thoughts at that moment, "I see three young adults... A pale-skinned boy with white hair... A tanned, blond one with a duel disk strapped to his wrist... And a young woman by the name of 'Mazaki Anzu'..."
Maza- Seto narrowed her eyes, frowning. He'd described Jonouchi and two of his idiot friends perfectly... But how... More importantly... Why? "You..." Yugi grew pale, eyes wide as both he and Mokuba looked to the hunter across from them in horror. Seto herself was holding a steady look if angered indifference despite all this... Though to say that 'Malik's words weren't giving her a cold feeling would be more or less inaccurate. "You..."
"Hnhnhnhnhn... Yes... 'Me'," Malik said somewhat 'jokingly', chuckling as he continued on. "You see, while you've been wandering this city," he explained darkly, "I've been keeping an eye on your so-called friends, biding my time... After all," the 'man' continued, tone going even further south, "No one is immune to the powers of my Millennium Rod..." Millen- Seto grit her teeth, a scowl coming over as the man continued to chuckle. Oh hell, not this bullshit again...
Though at least she was more contained than her rival... Who had currently gone red in the face, jaw clenched together as he glared at the man before him. "You sick, disgusting bastard..."
An insult that warranted still more laughter from the bastard in question. "Hnhnhnhnhn! Really," he said with a tone deserving of a sneer, "Even better than your blond friend! And speaking of your friends... Well... You'd best hurry up and find them," 'Malik' warned, still chuckling as his body hung limply above the ground, "Before something... 'Unfortunate' happens..." Gh- That didn't sound good... "And believe me when I say, they know you're coming," the man muttered, mouth barely moving save for what was absolutely necessary to communicate his words. "So by the time you get there," he continued, "They'll be quite ready for you. Enjoy the game, Yugi! Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn... And... Salaam..."
"Gh-" Yugi tensed even further with those last words, reaching forward with a snarl. "MALIK!" A loud thump came through the air, the teen's hand returning to his side as the body collapsed to the ground. "MALIK!"
Salaam... Seto's eyes widened briefly as the body again grew limp on the cement, Yugi shouting at what effectively amounted to a corpse. Salaam, that was Arabic... And this tone...
But there was no way that person was... Egyptian. Sure, the Ghouls were Arabic in origin, but everything about this person screamed Caucasian! He was either European, American, or- "H-Hey," Mokuba muttered, swallowing as silence came over the air. Yugi turned with a stiff expression in place, grabbing his jacket from the side, actions pulling Seto from her thoughts. "H-Hey," he repeated nervously, watching as the teen threw his jacket back on, "Yugi, where are you-" There was no answer save for a severe and cold look from the teen, Yugi turning to run as Seto scowled.
...He wasn't serious, was he? Seto's scowl from prior quickly returned as the teen clicked his disk back into the 'in-active' position, stowing his deck safely in the holster at his side before moving to run off. Ohhhh no. Not right now! "Yugi," she growled, turning on her rival as the teen stopped. "Don't even think of running away!" No. She was having her match damn it, and no 'eerie voice' (It really wasn't that frightening...) was saying other wise... Nor was any sort of 'Millennium Bullshit' getting in her way! ...And the mutt could handle himself!
"Kaiba..." Yugi turned, narrowing his eyes as the woman continued to glare at him.. "This is about more than just 'Ghouls'," he growled, a scowl clearly visible on his face. More than the ghouls? "I can't fight you right now... Not when my friends are in danger," the teen continued with a shout. "I refuse to let them die!" D- They wouldn't- ...(Actually she had no proof of that one...)
Without another word however, Yugi tore off, leaving a somewhat dumbstruck Mokuba in his wake as Seto grit her teeth. Idiot. A complete idiot! Her rival was a good for nothing-! "Tch... Choosing 'friends' over 'pride'..."
"N-Nii-sama," Mokuba said with a swallow, turning back to his sister as the woman's scowl lightened only slightly. "What if Yugi's right though," he asked, eyes filled with worry. "What if Katsuya-nii and the others are..."
Rgggggghhhh... The woman's teeth continued to grind, before she turned to watch the chauffeur drive closer to where they were. Tch. At least something was getting done. "There are easier ways to find them," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Mokuba," she said clearly, the boy nodding as he caught the silent message. "Follow the 'Mutt's signal from his duel disk and grab him in the car," she muttered, storming off toward where her rival had vanished.
"Ah... O-Of course," he shouted, moving to run back up the canal steps. "But... Nii-sama," he asked worriedly, "What are you do-"
"I'm making sure my rival doesn't waste his time arguing with scum-off-the-street duelists," she growled, cutting her brother off as she turned to face the boy briefly. "Call me when you find Jonouchi!"
Mokuba blinked, staring shortly as his sister turned back to where her 'rival' had disappeared to. "N-Nii-sama..."
Without another word she charged off, teeth still grinding as she followed after Yugi's likely 'path'. Idiots. She was surrounded by idiots who couldn't keep their damn faces out of trouble.
And of all the damn times to be reminded of THAT, she growled mentally, shoes sending loud 'thudding' noises through the air as she charged down the streets. Stupid, stupid, stupid...
"Augh... Tie again," someone was muttering in the distance, Seto turning the corner of an alley to scowl. The woman slowed somewhat as a pair of ghouls came into view, each one with their hands out in the typical 'rock-paper-scissors' form as they looked to a clearly aggravated 'rival' of hers. "Sorry Yugi..."
Alright, she'd been joking about the 'arguing' part, albeit only loosely. "Gh... Hurry up," the teen was shouting impatiently, the pair of ghouls before him shaking their heads as they blocked his back.
"We're going," one of them muttered, scratching their head as he looked at his hand, "But we keep tying..."
"Y-Yea," the second continued, the two ghouls both clearly scared out of their mind when it came to the thought of facing the teen. "We can't decide who goes first," he added, Seto speed-walking toward the group with a snarl.
Oh, for the LOVE of... A low growl developed in the back of her throat, the woman clicking her disk 'on' and scowling as the ghouls before her paled. They'd spotted her now... And at what was probably the worst possible time for them as well. "You can't decide," she 'asked' angrily, stopping her approach as she stood beside her rival. "Then tag-team us you pigs! Yugi and I will pair up!"
"A- A tag team match," one of the two repeated, the ghouls muttering amongst themselves as Yugi stared. ("We have enough people," the other was saying.)
"K-Kaiba," Yugi muttered, eyes wide with evident confusion.
"Don't get the wrong idea," she growled, narrowing her eyes as she held her gaze away from the teen. "One of the main reasons I set up this tournament was to weed scum like the 'Ghouls' from the face of the earth... This has nothing to do with your idiotic mutt," she added with a defensive snarl, receiving a blank and surprised series of blinks in response.
"...I didn't say anything," the teen said rather flatly, before turning as their opponents coughed.
"Ehhh..." The ghouls in front of them swallowed, holding their disks forward. "L-Lets go," the taller shouted, each of them taking stances as they drew a hand of cards. "'Basic Rulings' style," they shouted, "Duel!"
Basic rulings..? The woman gave a dark snort, quickly setting off the manual switch between 'card locks'. It figured that Ghouls found a way to get through the more hidden lock on store-prepared disks... "Hn! This will be fast," she muttered, drawing her hand only to set a single card on the field. Not that this wasn't a problem... And oooh... The woman grabbed the first card from her hand, setting it on the disk with a sinister chuckle. "Watch me Yugi," she shouted with a darkening grin, card appearing to the field as the sky appeared to darken. "This is MY God Card... OBELISK!"
"O-Obelisk," the opponents stuttered incredulously, holographic smoke developing behind the woman as the card was summoned.
In a single instant the enormous monster appeared, far surpassing the limits of the hologram projectors as it blew the 'opponents' back in a single punch. She could care less about the 'laws of physics' at the moment, or any other to say the least... Hell, she didn't even care that the monster was behind her, rather than in front of her where the card was. And as Yugi stared with wide eyes at the damage done by her card, which was now being removed to return to her deck, all she could do was laugh. "HnhnhahahA! Now then," she snarled, grin still in place as she stormed toward the scum on the ground to rip the locator cards from their disks. "Lets go!"
Yugi's only response was a blank, wide-eyed nod, the teen barely catching the locator cards as she tossed them back toward him.
While storms were developing and clearing on what appeared to be a whim around Domino, Mokuba was busy running for the staircase of the canal while doing as his sister had asked. "Okay," he muttered to himself, biting his lip somewhat. "Katsuya-nii's ID was..." Hnnn... Mokuba frowned as he walked back up the steps to the canal-side road, tapping a few things on his slate as he attempted to locate the blond. He'd been keeping tabs on him for most of the day but... For some reason, when Odoru had tapped the screen to look at Osiris' info in the car, the tab had closed.
There hadn't even been anything to tell him of the action, which was why he was resuming the search now, rather than already having it set up again. Which was weird when he thought about it... The boy shook it off however, looking at the location as it flashed back on the screen with a nod. Code was entered, and the disk was working fine! "Alright," he said with a smirk, stowing the slate back in his bag as he walked back toward the car. "The aquarium! That's easy enough to find... Hey! Matsuda," the boy shouted, coming over to the car at a slight run. The back door was already ready and open for him he noted, the boy's smirk still in place as he ran over. "We're heading to the Aquarium," he continued plainly, "Get there as fast as you... ...Can..."
Oh no... Oh no... Mokuba swallowed, looking into the backseat of the car with horror as the bloodied brows of the two guards met his eyes. Blunt force... It was just blunt force, there was still a- "M-Matsuda," the boy shouted, looking into the car as the blood ran from his face. "Matsuda, call-" Mokuba continued to pale, stepping away from the car as the unconscious and bleeding form of the recognizable chauffeur met his gaze through the rearview mirror. ...H-Him too... From the middle of their heads, directly between the eyes, knocked out cold...
The boy hurriedly grabbed his phone from his pocket, dialling in the three-digit emergency number with a swallow. "O-One one nine... I..." Come on... Pick up pick up pick up... "Hah... Hah... GHK-!" A strangled cry met the air as the phone clattered to the ground, the boy raised from the sidewalk by his neck as he attempted to pull at the arm holding him.
"Emergency phone line," a calm voice at the other end of the phone stated, "What is your reason for calling?"
Something that warranted '110' instead? "Gh... Hkg..!" The boy struggled as he was slowly deprived of his much needed oxygen, rough hands gripping at his throat as he shut his eyes. No... No...
"...Hello," the man on the phone was asking, tears dotting Mokuba's eyes. No...
No..! He needed to- A cloth was forced across the boy's face, his eyes widening just briefly before closing over as his body fell limp. No...
Something in the cloth... His vision was fading... And what was...
...No...
"Hello," the voice was saying again. "...Hello..? ...Hello?"
It couldn't end like this... It couldn't...
...
no...
AN: Noooo! Mokubaaaa!
Ooooh, it's so short today! Actually not really. It seemed that way before edit though, and that's because we don't get Kaiba and Yugi next. We get Jonouchi next.
And switching to Jonouchi within this chapter really, really, really kills the drama of it. (Even though it'll technically kill it anyways by switching moods from chapter to chapter.) In the end though, this is only a page shorter than usual anyways... And in all honesty, I can still blame Malik.
He doesn't know when to SHUT HIS MOUTH.
And in other news, I'm sure people are still wondering what was up with Osiris the TALKING dragon-god... And there's actually an explanation in one of the review responses below, as that was a question. So without further ado...
Poll Results are STILL unchanged. So yea.
Anonymous Review Responses
Aha! My goal is achieved! …Nice touch with the 'Eff!' there Iona.
God's sudden speaking ability is all 'God'; the power of the God Cards is such that it one, allows most with their foot in Ancient Egypt power (IE, holders of the Millennium Items) to see and hear them clearly and two, somewhat thins the barrier between 'reality' (Holograms) and 'the other realms' (What Jonouchi sees).
Kaiba however doesn't put much thought to it, since whereas Yugi's affects all of his monsters because of an already prevalent ability, her 'sense' only gets snatched up by Blue-Eyes and the God Cards. Mai also has this, though with her Harpy Ladies instead…
In a nut-shell, the same people that can be affected by Orichalcos, have 'lived' in Ancient Egypt, or simply hold in their possession a Millennium Item have a slightly stronger than normal 'sense'; this ranges from:
Certain monsters in their decks simply following them around (Haga and Ryuzaki)...
To somewhat seeing and/or being able to feel those monsters in reality on the board, (Kaiba, Mai)...
To seeing and/or touching all of the personal monsters at will (Before a fight or during for example; this only applies to Yugi)...
All the way up to seeing ALL monsters and spells, being affected by those spells, experiencing ALL SENSATIONS (So not just sight and touch; smell, taste (Not that this happens often), and hearing as well.) involving this… Both inside and outside of a duel.
This actually extends even further than that, but that won't happen for a long time... Read: Doma. And speaking of Doma, when the monsters are wreaking havoc everywhere, that isn't everyone suddenly being able to see; that's the monsters actually existing in the real world.
In any case, enjoy this chapter!
Ohhh very unnerving Randomprojects. As to why Jou's sixth sense is stronger… You will find out. Trust me on that. And it's not really that he hears the other duels; it's just that Osiris is so loud that he can hear the echoing roar.
And regarding that… A few things. One, Atem was quite straight, trust me on this. So you'll find out what I meant by 'not any more' soon enough or eventually depending…
In terms of his embarrassment, it's largely that bottom point, but it is indeed tied to a subconscious memory… Quite like the 'onions' deal, but for a very different reason… Albeit still related to what the two thought of each other.
Actually, the two reasons are tied into each other, so have fun when I reveal that point.
In any case, it's mostly him being flustered. With that, enjoy the chapter!
And as for this nameless anonymous review… Is that you BlueLagoonLoon? The review is pretty consistent with your style. And as for your cold, ouch! I hope you get better.
Hahaha! I think that in this case, being an Ancient Egyptian matter, the name is different, but I do indeed get the point. And yes… So so much arrogance and jerkiness to make Kaiba 'Kaiba'… Haaaahh, but we love him (And in fanfic's case her) for it!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that wonders what kind of 'test' Ra and Obelisk will come up with!
Today's chapter title refers to the 'challenge' that Osiris supposedly put Yugi through. In Egyptian lore, after death the spirit passes through twelve gates before entering the next world... One for each hour/star of the evening.
But wait Usagi, there's only three Gods! Very very true. But I never said that the 'Gates' title would only refer to 'challenges' from the Gods. Moreover, I have given you a very big hint as to what this actually refers to.
It's around three in the afternoon for Yugi and Kaiba by the way, for those curious about the time (Since we obviously had to 'backtrack' from Shizuka and the others to cover the other duels); by the time Jonouchi finishes his next duel, it'll be around four, and after the double duel between the masks, Kaiba, and Yugi, around 5:30, 5:45.
What's on the disk is understandable, but how do they know what's in their hands? It's simple really; the system logs all cards in the deck into the computer... That way, cards that are summoned once they're drawn are actually summoned... So, to figure out what's in the hand, it only needs to figure out which cards were just removed or recently removed during the duel.
Also, the first part of this chapter is inspired mostly by what I would imagine an announcer is stuck doing in front of every duel monster's game. 'We have Duelist A… He's summoning a monster, a tricky play given the trap card across from him, but perhaps luck is on his side…'
No seriously. Worst job ever. Nonetheless, the peanut gallery guards serve this purpose rather well.
Originally, this ability that Osiris had was unknown to Kaiba until he was actually at the duel… But lets face it, if we're going to figure out anything as readers from this…
By the way, the doll wasn't referred to as 'the doll' or as 'Malik' when it was Kaiba's point of view because… Well.. Kaiba doesn't know about the whole possession/Malik deal just yet. She will soon though... (Not that she'll 'believe' it.)
Lots of lines were changed here, either to match the fact that abilities were known before hand, or simply to cut down on unneeded exposition. Because unneeded exposition can cause unneeded images of stupidity.
And yes, that 'LISTEN' comes from my Zelda-fan-ness. And now all of you will picture Kaiba as- ...Actually, just look at the doodle below.
Because talking is a free action, but duelling isn't, I had Osiris hold his ability back for the moment, or at least until Malik bothered to draw three cards. Mainly because it takes about two seconds for an attack, and Malik doesn't know how to shut up.
At all.
…You do not know how tempted I was to have Yugi say 'WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM' instead of his actual line. Damn you Gurren Lagann. Damn you… (Your homework for those who don't get the joke is to watch that show now.)
Malik really does let loose an f-bomb in the manga by the way. It's actually really amusing, because Malik doesn't actually curse that much… At all. Might come off as surprising, but it's true... It's very rare.
As a matter of fact yes, 'Salaam' is 'Good-bye' in Arabic. Informal grant you, but Malik doesn't much like Yugi and the others anyways.
Originally, Mokuba was going to do two things; one, use his canon line of 'Don't get to used to it; soon, those (God card, locator card) will both be my brother's!', which was scrapped when I remembered that this was probably stated because Mokuba was still acting like a complete prat in the manga (Something he obviously doesn't do nearly as much now)...
And two, also say 'nee-sama' rather than 'nii-sama', as it appears to just be Mokuba, Kaiba, and Yugi.
But Mokuba doesn't know if 'Strings' is conscious or not, so that would be rather silly… It's a good thing he took that precaution too; Malik was still listening, and he would have had a nasty bit of leverage otherwise.
Yami Yugi actually wearing the jacket? Blasphamey! It goes on his shoulders! But the fact is, I refuse to believe he can run at top speed without that jacket falling from his shoulders. So there.
Originally, Kaiba only said it had nothing to do with Yugi's friends in the manga. For some reason though, her denial is far more specific than her canon-counterpart, ahahaha. Well, I wonder what THAT means…
(I am very bad at keeping secrets.)
I'm pretending Kaiba already has five locator cards by the way. Because then, she's not quite as pissed about Jonouchi having so many so early, hehehehe. It also means less curbstomps to narrate; thanks to this, Yugi now has four locator cards with the end of the duel... For the sake of keeping things running 'smoothly' though, not all of the Ghouls will have locator cards, so a majority of the curbstomp duels will turn out empty handed save one.
Also, Yugi's reaction is entirely shock when it comes to the end of the 'curbstomp' that was made even shorter by means of author-handwave. There's no fear or anything (Though Obelisk also brings with him enough power to make duels somewhat more 'real' than they should be), but lets face it, Kaiba's actions are more often than not… Odd… When it comes to these things.
You'd stare too.
In Japan, the emergency number varies; to call the police, it's 110. For an emergency at sea, its 118. For fire and medical reasons however, its 119.
FanArt and My Art Section
As per usual, paste the link and remove the spaces for your image.
There's a lot of sketchiness here, particularly in 'Parasite Paracide', which is actually still in the 'blue-pen' phase for all but two parts. Even so, it serves as a little way to see how I start all my art off, so enjoy that!
Sketch- Parasite Paracide – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ ParasiteParacide. jpg - The super-sketchy sketches are supposed to be Little Winguard, Panther Warrior post-parasite, and an overly motherly giant Insect Queen... Much to Jonouchi's absolute horror. At least you get his hand? ...Eeeeewww...
Crack/Costume - The Legend of Jou! - http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ TheLegendOfJou. jpg - In other words, what happens when you play The Legend of Zelda too much. Specifically, this is the Wind Waker, and if you don't recognize the characters, here's a silly little guide:
Jou – Link (Derp.)
Shizuka – Aryll (Link's sister, and kidnappee for the first half of the game.)
Kaiba – Tetra (PIRATES! Captain actually. And then she turned out to be Zelda, which was weird albeit expected... Gives you the 'Gossip Stone' to act as your far-less annoying 'Navi' for the first half of the game.)
Yugi (normal) – Komali (Rito chieftain's son, you meet this guy early on... He's fairly insecure, but ends up gaining confidence and bad-assery as the game moves... Actually saves Link and Tetra from Ganon at one point.)
Anzu – Medli (The Rito Komali loves; Medli turns out to be the Sage of Earth, so you get to lead her around a temple and leave her there. As Komali asks where she went, because he wanted to give her a flower. It wilted...)
Yugi (The other one.) - 'The King of Red Lions' AKA... King of Hyrule. (For the most part of the game, this is the talking boat who acts as the other half of 'Navi'. And then he turns out to be the ghost of the late king. Ta-daaaa! Happens when he reveals Tetra as the Princess too; he poofs her into the Zelda dress and everything. Annnnd then you leave Zelda/Tetra in the basement for half the game.)
And then we hit Makar, the Sage of Wind, and I got stuck. Because Makar is a Korok. And Koroks look like ginseng roots with leaf masks.
Your homework... PLAY THIS GAME. It's quite good. And that's enough of my shameless advertising for today.
Plans/Concept – 'Kaiba-Craft-3' – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ AirshipFloorplan. jpg - This is what Kaiba's Airship is called in Japanese; it took a bit to lay out, mostly because there's only so much room you can have in a jet that attaches to an airship, but also because of the fact that... Well, it's a jet that attaches to an airship, has a huge-ass bridge and dining hall, hotel rooms for each of the competitors, and lets not even start on Kaiba's computer 'hole', where the staff disappear to, where the doctors came from... Where the doctor's equipment came from...
In any case, despite all that, it was fun, even if it proves quite painfully how much of an architect I am not. And yes, there's a reason why the competitors are in the room's they're in.
And with that in mind, the next chapter will bring us back to Jonouchi... Among other things. Keep your eyes peeled! And until then, enjoy!