The Power of the Seas
Katsuya liked to think that lately, he'd been getting rather good at realizing when he was being tailed. Being able to tail other people well enough himself, it was becoming one of the less-than-honest things he was still somewhat proud of, mostly due to their use. Like his lock-picking; if he hadn't known how to do that, he'd have never been able to bust Seto out of Pegasus' weird-ass hidden basement dungeon.
That sounded a hell of a lot more creepy when he ran that through his head again. (Suddenly, Pegasus being dead didn't bug him nearly as much as it had an hour or so ago.)
In any case, like lock-picking, tailing people had come somewhat in handy. Like following Yugi around- Why, if he hadn't done that... ...Ehhh... He... Wouldn't have had that weird nightmare...
Alright, he needed to rethink these things. Maybe it wasn't being able to tail people that contributed to figuring out when you were being followed anyways. After all, he'd spent the last year and a bit staring at screens for any single detail or feeling that was out of place, and that was something that only added to years of his own gut feeling saving him while walking to his old apartment in the middle of the night. A gut feeling that had learned very quickly to go with either avoiding a fight, or beating the ever loving crap out of someone that wouldn't actually manage to kill him.
But despite this feeling, after the roars and the storms had died down in the distance and the feeling hadn't Katsuya found himself only barely able to reassure himself of the fact that none of those around him, save Anzu and Bakura, were the same people he'd seen an hour, half an hour, or even fifteen minutes before. That the few passersby were merely other 'familiar' residents of Domino, some of which he was even being given a heads up on curtesy of that annoying-ass 'flash' thing. Woman in a skirt, guy in a suit... Staring at them... And yet even though this was creepy, and more or less setting his paranoia on high as every glance over the crowd found him holding his breath and catching a spark of flames in the corner of his eye, he only ended up staring off into the distance as that same flash of fire vanished from sight completely.
Not the best way to spend the time after a 'bug-duel', that was for sure. "Jonouchi-kun," the nervous voice of his friend asked, somewhat faded as another flash of fires passed his eye. The blond jumped somewhat as the others stared at him, coughing nervously as the two frowned at their friend with evident worry.
"Jonouchi," Anzu asked as she shook her head, "Are you alright..?" The woman bit her lip, glancing at where her friend had been staring before shrugging whatever feeling she had off. "You keep spacing out..."
E-Eh! Katsuya again coughed under his breath, looking away somewhat. Shit... They'd noticed that? Bakura nodded as the teen continued to pale, biting his lip as he continued from where Anzu had left off. "She's right," he said worriedly, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the blond. "It's worse than when you're in class... The others told me that was just something you tended to do lately but it seems to be happening far more often lately..." Th- They'd noticed that too!
"E-Ehh..." Excuse, quick, come up with an excuse! "I'm... Jus' thinkin' abou' Yugi," the blond said with a cough, the feeble excuse apparently convincing his friends for the moment. The two were both trading shrugs and nods at the moment, expressions of unease fading somewhat as they looked back. "I mean... I promised 'm I'd make it to th' finals, y' know?" Yea... And speaking of that promise... "Course... Even though I've only got one card left..." He laughed somewhat nervously as he pulled out the five cards from his pocket, looking around the street before putting them back. "Ehhh..."
So far, it was like everyone had just skipped down after that storm... Either running inside, or even running home; after all, it was the middle of the afternoon now... There were probably only a handful of competitors left by this point. "The streets are almost cleared now," Bakura muttered, looking down the road somewhat before frowning. The albino fell silent for a few moments, arms crossed over his chest as he stared out. It had become a bit of an awkward subject, the Millennium Ring really... Sort of an 'all-known' secret. They knew he was wearing it, thanks to that incident back in April...
But damned if seeing it didn't scare the crap out of them, and Bakura sure as hell didn't like talking about the thing- the only comfort they ever got out of the knowledge was when gym class came and he wasn't wearing it. Of course, that only meant they never knew when he was or wasn't so... "...Hnnn..." Katsuya cut his thoughts short as he followed Bakura's gaze, eyes narrowed as his hair blew into his face. A wind seemed to be passing... Like some strong, hurricane-force gale that only affected the air and not the things around it. A strange feeling to say the least but...
He looked over at Bakura, turning around to walk off into the street. No way he felt it too right? Hell, Yugi didn't seem to catch these things... Anzu sighed as they continued down the road, a slight frown on her face as she glanced at the clock on her phone. "We haven't seen Yugi all day," she muttered, watching as the skies began to clear above them. She replaced the device in her purse, crossing her arms as the three walked aimlessly down the middle of the street. Empty roads were both the blessing and the curse of the shut down motor traffic really... Not that there was time to think about that. "I wonder how he's doing..."
Whaaaat, Yugi? Heh! "Knowin' him he's already at th' finals, waitin' f'r me," Katsuya said with a smirk, shaking his head. Hell, he was probably way ahead of him..! Probably bored out of his skull, standing around whatever building Seto decided on... "Heh... An' I'll be there in jus' a moment," he continued, partially to himself.
"You know..." Eh? The others turned as Bakura brought his arms back down from around his chest, a small smile appearing on his face. "I just thought of something," the albino said somewhat conversationally, turning to the blond as they continued walking. "You've won a few new cards haven't you," he asked. "Psycho Shocker, and the Insect Queen..." Otherwise known as super-tall cyborg thing and scary-ass bug lady that somehow still had breasts...
"Ihhhh..." Anzu nodded, pulling a slight face as she went a little green. "He did," she answered for the blond, only slightly less pale than her friend, "But they're a little creepy..." A little? More like-
"Gh-! O-Oii," the blond growled darkly, "It ain't like I picked 'm out myself," he muttered in response, ignoring an equally aggravated snarl from his deck. Well, obviously someone (...Thing.) in there didn't agree...
Not that he really cared... "Personally, I found them quite interesting..." In, interesting..! How the hell was- The others turned as Bakura said this, the albino smiling rather warmly as he searched his pockets for something. "You see," the teen was rattling off, ignorant to the looks on his friend's faces, "I absolutely love grotesque cards like that, with more genuinely 'monstrous' creatures and the like..." Yea! That was... One way of describing the Insect Queen... "I'm actually a little jealous," he continued with a laugh, the others continuing to stare incredulously, "If it were me, I'd love to add those cards to my deck!" G-Go right ahe-
Ah- Wait... Bakura had a... "Y-You have a duel monster's deck Bakura?" Weird... He'd never said anything about that... And it wasn't like the game was that new, given everything else that went on because of the cards...
Even so the teen nodded, smiling as he pulled the deck in question out from his pockets. There were definite signs of wear on a few of the cards; evidently, this wasn't just something he'd gotten into within the last week. "That's right! See, It's 'occult' themed!" The albino continued grinning, fanning the cards out in his hands to show the others. There was a fairly obvious amount of care put into the cards despite the wear Katsuya noted somewhat blankly as Bakura held the cards out. In all honesty, he needn't have done this, as the moment the deck met the air a large number of spirits followed with. A blue skinned woman holding the remains of a child-like doll came first, the 'woman' bowing her head politely as she rubbed the broken doll in an almost loving caress as she 'smiled' at the blond. Next, a zombified jester-esque man with strings attached to his hands, muscles and skin worn away to make the man appear more angered than calm...
Sangan was more or less a relief from the shades to say the least, though Katsuya was still edging away from the deck with an uncontrollable shudder as more and more spirits hopped out to stare. "O-Occult..." So... Creepy... He shook himself, watching as the teen closed up the deck for the spirits to vanish from sight. Thank god... "Hihhh! I am never dueling you Bakura... Never, never, never!!"
"R-Really," the teen said with a slight laugh, pocketing his deck as Anzu watched in amusement, "Don't be like that now..."
"Never..!" Hihhhh... The blond rubbed his wrists as he attempted to push the feeling from mind, only for a short blip sound to jar him from his thoughts. "Nyh!"
The others blinked, staring as the small light at the end of the deck holder began to glow. It was slow and pulsing at the moment, lighting up the small arrow-shaped lens on the device with a cool green hue. "Ah... What is that," Anzu muttered, watching Katsuya turn the disk from left to right with variant speeds of 'flashing' from the light. To the left, it slowed to the point where it was no longer glowing... To the right however...
"This is..." Is... Some sort of... "...Ah!" Katsuya grinned as he realized what the light was doing, turning back to the others with a grin. "This must be th' 'duelist search sensor' th' packaging for th' disk mentioned," he said with a laugh, stretching his arm out as the light flashed more rapidly. Sure seemed like it at least, with the way it was going on... "It detects other active duel disks within fifty 'r so meters," the blond explained, holding his arm out as the blip sounds continued.
"Hah... That's convenient," Anzu muttered, Bakura momentarily staring off to the side with a continued frown. Katsuya as well paused for a moment as another wind passed them by, before looking back as Anzu continued on. "But how would you know which way to go..?"
Another series of blip sounds came from the device in answer as Katsuya pointed it southward, his grin growing. "That answer yer question," he asked, bringing his arm back in and looking down the street. "Alrigh'! Let's go," he shouted, taking off with a laugh as the 'blips' continued through the air at a slow crescendo. "Who knows how long this guy'll be in range!"
"H-Hey," Anzu shouted, charging after the blond as her friend ran off. "Wait up! If it's only fifty meters it can't be that long!"
Not taking chances! "Battle City Finals, here I come," he called out cheerfully, laughing wildly as he ran with Anzu shouting behind him.
"J-Jonouchi!"
All in all he should have realized that something was off when he didn't hear a 'jonouchi-kun' in addition to Anzu's shouts. Because if he had, things likely would have gone much differently by the end of the day...
"Ah... Hang on..." To say he was a little surprised at where the sensor had taken him, was putting it fairly lightly. Shining above them rather clearly in the sunlight was a familiar, brightly lit sign with a whale as its mascot and logo after all, and given that Battle City supposedly existed because buildings didn't have the space for duels... Well, ending up here was more than a bit confusing. "Th' Aquarium..?"
Anzu as well stared, crossing her arms as she looked from the sign to the beeping duel disk on her friend's arm before shrugging. "The sensor certainly thinks so..." She trailed off, looking behind her only to groan and shake her head. "Oh no..." Oh no?
Well it wasn't a bad 'oh no', there'd be a scream then but... "...Eh?" Katsuya turned, following her gaze only to blink at what wasn't there. "Wh- Aw hell..." They'd lost Bakura... The blond frowned momentarily, before looking to his friend with raised eyebrows. "..Y' think he'll find us easy enough," he asked, looking from the empty road and back to the aquarium behind him.
The woman beside him sighed, shrugging as she again crossed her arms. "If not," she said with a sigh, "There's always my cell..." Yes, there was always that... Anzu again shook her head, turning to head for the main entrance as she adjusted her purse. "Let's go inside and find this 'duelist' your disk is so set on and call him after alright," she decided, turning back briefly as Katsuya moved to follow her.
"Righ'..." Well... Despite the usual paranoia, there was no weird flames or winds or anything so... Couldn't be too much wrong right? The blond nodded to himself with that thought, turning toward the aquarium entrance as they made their way inside. "Sooooo," he muttered, glancing at the entrance fee as they entered the surprisingly short line. "...Y' have 'nough f'r two people righ'..?"
"Two-" Anzu tensed, before looking at her friend with a somewhat broken smile as she 'laughed'. "Ahah... And... How come you can't pay for yourself, mister 'I don't need to lie about a job'?" Oh come on, was she seriously bitter about that? He paid rent didn't he?
And thank god Bakura had defended him on that by mentioning that his dad paid for his apartment, or he'd have ended up at the wrong end of the 'Mazaki-Stare' for a week. It wasn't the 'Kaiba-Stare', that was for sure...
But it was still something he was tensing under the thought of, laughing somewhat nervously as he attempted to spare himself for the current moment. "Ahehehe... I treated a guy t' lunch earlier," he said with a cough, making sure to avoid mentioning Ryuzaki. Or 'Keiichi' for that matter, given that he'd been complaining about 'that guy' for a while... "I... I'm short cash alrigh'..?" So please pay for him, he mentally added as it came to their turn in the line.
Anzu sighed as she looked over her friend, turning away and shaking her head. "Hah..." The woman fished out a bit of change from her purse, moving to the front of the ticket booth to buy two fares as her friend silently cheered. Yes! "Alright... But only this once," she continued, pointing back at Katsuya in slight accusation as she handed him his pass. "Got it?"
"Hehe... Crystal," he said with a grin, moving through the gate and flashing his pass across the scanner. "I owe yah one!" Ignoring the 'I won't hold you to it' (What, he was reliable!) from behind, the blond continued to grin and walk into the large 'coliseum-esque' tank arena, the duel-disk's 'blips' now escalating to a full on, endless 'beep'. "Now," he muttered, smacking the disk as the beeping began to grate at his nerves. The noise stopped rather quickly as the light flickered out, Katsuya staring at it nervously for a moment; he... It wasn't broken right? A slight flash from the disk in question told him it likely wasn't at least, so the blond decided to push it from mind before moving further into the arena. "Le's see where th's guy is-"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Eh... Wow, for that kind of laughter to make itself known among an arena full of people was pretty- "Talk about a BIG catch!" A what? Big... Catch? The two turned at the shout, looking near the side of the tank where a tanned, head-band wearing man was gleefully watching a killer whale leap in and out of the water. Hang on... Loose, messy ponytail, scars on his arms and legs...
"A-Ahhh! It's him," Katsuya said with a slight shout, blinking a few times, running over with a grin. "Kajiki..! O-OIII," he shouted louder, heading over to the tank. "KAJIKI!"
The man by the tank turned, evidently not caring that he was already thoroughly soaked by the whale's splashing. "Hn- Ah! Jonouchi," he shouted with a laugh, grinning as the two others came toward him. The whale behind him again jumped, the pair pausing in their approach as the spray of water misted into the air. "Ahahaha!"
"Hahaha! Been a long time," the blond said with a grin, coming over as the whale beside them opted to take a break from jumping. "How yah doin'?"
"I've been great! Completely fine," Kajiki said cheerfully, the Okinawan crossing his arms as he shook his head. "Long time is right," he added, smirking as he looked at the two. "It's been almost half a year since the 'Kingdom'!" And he was more or less enjoying that time to say the least... "So you're in Battle City too, ah," he asked, Katsuya nodding as his grin widened.
"Heh! Damn straight," the blond laughed, hands stowed in his pockets as he grinned. "Like I'd miss this chance!"
"Oh... But Kajiki..." The boys turned, watching as Anzu frowned and stared at the Okinawan oddly. "Battle City is supposed to be restricted to the streets," she said somewhat plainly, "What exactly are you doing at an aquarium?"
Kajiki's grin didn't even falter at that question, the man merely continuing to laugh as he leaned against the tank's waist-high glass. "Ahhh, well, I was out on the streets before," he trailed off, looking back at the whale as it swam over to open its mouth in a 'grin', "But the fact is," the Okinawan continued cheerfully, "When I saw this aquarium, I had to come in!" Of course he did, there were fish her- "I've never been to one before, hahaha!"
"Ah," The two blinked, raising their eyebrows. "You haven't..-" They were quickly cut off as Kajiki continued to go on about the aquarium, rubbing the killer whale's head with a grin.
"But ohhh WOW! I knew they had fish here," he said with a chuckle, watching as the whale flipped back into the water with another open mouthed grin, "But this is HUGE! I almost want to pick him out and fry him on the grill!" Hahaha, this guy never cha-
Waaaaaait... "E-Ehh..." Katsuya coughed, shaking his head. "Grill?"
"Fish," Anzu said incredulously, looking from the whale to Kajiki. H-Hey, that wasn't the point here...
"O-Oiii... Kajiki," Katsuya laughed, rubbing his head. "B'sides th' fact that tha's a whale," he said with a cough, Anzu momentarily gesturing to the blond to emphasize the comment, "An'... Not a fish..." Probably wouldn't make for good eating...
"Kajiki..." The man stared, arms crossed as the two before him shook their heads. "An aquarium is a place to see fish," Anzu was continuing with a cough, shaking her head. "N-Not to eat them..!"
Kajiki blinked at this, a somewhat dumbstruck look in place as he looked them over. "H-Heh..? You city-slickers pay money to... To see fish," he asked, shaking his head as another grin came over his face. What. What was so wrong about looking at things that would ordinarily be a couple thousand feet under the oce- "Man," Kajiki muttered with a whistle, "You guys are weird..." It wasn't weird damn it! (That aquarium in Osaka had been particularly cool for one, given the chances of seeing a whale shark in reality.) "More than I thought," the man before them added, blinking off his evident surprise as Katsuya frowned. "Heh! If you want to see fish so bad," he continued with a grin, "Come down south... I'll show you all the fish in the sea, HAHAHA! Give them a meal too," the Okinawan added, a well timed splash from the orca behind him happening at that moment.
"Ehhh... S-Sure," he said with a shrug, staring. ...How did Kajiki get from Okinawa to Tokyo anyways...
"Oh, by the way..." Nyh? "Jonouchi," Kajiki asked, turning to the blond as his friend blinked. "If that's all this place is," he continued plainly, "Then what brings you here?" Katsuya paused for a moment, staring as the man continued with a grin. "You must love fish more than I thought," Kajiki continued loudly, "Maybe I should take you on a trip!"
"Ah-" Wait wait wait..! "I didn't come here t' look at fish," he growled, going somewhat red as Kajiki's earlier comments on 'weird city-slickers' came to mind. The Okinawan blinked at this, watching as Katsuya tensed a moment more before smirking. Well... Kajiki was a duelist after all... "I came here t' duel," he said with a grin, crossing his arms. "An' seein' how yer th' only duelist here..."
"You want to duel with-" There was a short pause, the man repeating the phrase under his breath. "You want to duel...With me," Kajiki muttered, eyebrows raised. Was it so hard to believe? The blond nodded, only to growl as the man laughed in response. Oii! That wasn't a real question! (He hadn't even asked it..!) "AHAHAHA! You can't possibly compete against my Sea deck," Kajiki shouted, howling laughter filling the air as Anzu shook her head from beside the blond. "Compared to me," the man continued with a wide grin, "You're just a little prawn!"
"Ghhh!" Prawn! As in shrimp! "What was that y' seafood-nut..!"
Kajiki's wide grin instantly narrowed into the familiar 'duelist's smirk', the man clicking his duel disk into position as he gestured to the large amount of space between the tank and the stands. There was quite clearly enough space to fight right there after all... And given that the show obviously hadn't started... "I said 'alright'," the man shouted, slipping his deck into place with a nod. "I accept your challenge, Jonouchi!"
Ah- "Heh! Now that's more like it!" The blond moved to stand at a fair distance from the side grinning. Already, a number of the people who had initially come to watch the whale show were muttering, talking amongst themselves. Mostly wondering what they were doing... And a few others watching in evident anticipation. Heh... Not bad having an audience... Time to show them what he was made of! "Alrigh' Kajiki," he shouted, the two now a good thirty feet apart as they turned to each other. "I got five locator cards... I only need one t' go on t' th' finals," he continued clearly, "So why not bet one card f'r now?"
His opponent frowned a moment at that, apparently not expecting his match to have that many. The expression quickly vanished however, Kajiki smirking as he held his disk out for the duel. "A better idea," he shouted with a nod, expression faltering slightly as he appeared to weigh his options while he spoke. "We're running out of time for the tournament," he explained, glancing at the aquarium clock with those words. Three o'clock... Traffic would start up again around six wouldn't it? "I still need two cards," Kajiki was saying as his opponent thought about this, voice plain as the blond looked back. "Rather than only offering one," he continued on, "How about this? I offer one locator card and two rare cards if you win... But if I win," the man shouted seriously narrowing his eyes, "I get a rare card and two locator cards instead!" So either way, the winner made it to the end then. Hnnn...
Well, if that happened, he'd still have a clear shot at the finals... Not much time, but he'd just have to bet two...
But what the hell was he thinking about that for, he wasn't losing! "Alrigh'," Katsuya shouted, disk clacking into place as he nodded. Two rare cards... And there was no way Kajiki had any creepy-ass monsters in his fishy deck! "Deal! Let's go!"
His opponent nodded, a smirk making his way on his face. "Duel!"
A wave of water splashed up from the side as the whale in the tank leaped high beside them, the pair drawing their hands in an instant. All in all, this whale had interesting timing... That wasn't the point though. "I'm first," the blond announced, disk held forward as the familiar 'wind' that appeared during the duels began to pick up. He won this, and he'd be in! He'd have made it to the finals, made it to where Yugi was waiting, made it to where he would rub this right in Seto's face... (That last one was particularly appealing, at least until he remembered her warning...)
Shouts were filling the air from all sides with these thoughts... Some about the whale in the tank, children watching as the killer whale leaped and flipped gracefully in the air... Others more recognizable as cheers, Anzu in particular standing a small ways off at the side with cupped hands... And all throughout the air a 'tint' seemed to come over the area Katsuya noted, like some thin celophane curtain of shadow to set the field. It was something that happened during every duel... As though the entire world was 'setting the scene' for what was about to happen, affecting even their moods. Kajiki had a fairly nasty smirk in place with that last thought in mind, greatly contrasting the warm grin he'd had before... But even so. The blond looked over his hand, eyes narrowed as he thought of a first move to make. Heh...
Imagine if he'd still had that Parasite card right now... That would have been horrible, hahahaha... Katsuya shook the thought from mind, instead continuing to flip through his first five cards. Alright! This wasn't a bad hand at all... A few monsters, and his trap, Chasm of spikes! Hehehehe... "First," the blond shouted with a smirk as he slipped the card into the duel disk slot, "I set one card face down!" A phrase he had to literally force himself to say every time to say the least... Given that the 'card' was just a blank tablet. Or at least it was now, after waiting a few seconds for it to appear from the ground, face blank and unrevealing. Katsuya slipped a second card onto the disk, silently thankful for the fact that he could at least see the cards and the monster's with the devices as he watched the tablet appear. "An' next," the blond shouted as steam wrapped about the stone, "I play Swordsman 'f Landstar in defense mode!" The alien-like monster's form appeared clearly on its tablet, the shield bearing his image facing out to the crowd watching. And now that that was done... He glanced back at his hand, smirking. Heh... On his next turn, he'd tribute summon Giltia, getting a powerful monster on the field right off... This duel was going to be over in minutes! "It's on...!"
"Hn! Right! It's my turn then," Kajiki called out, a pair of tablets appearing to the field as he set two cards into place. "One face down card," he began, the first tablet going blank as it arose from the dust and air to his left, "And Flying Fish, in defense mode," he continued, the second tablet slowly carving the image of a long winged fish on its form. "End turn!"
Fish huh? He stared at the large, arced carving, smirking in response. "So... Y' think you can fight me wi' fish Kajiki," the blond asked, drawing his next card as the smirk grew. Probably should have figured really... "My deck's got some pretty strong monsters..." Something they were pleased to hear, given the weird feeling coming from the cards in question. Hehehehe... "You should be warned..! Here... Lemme show you," he continued, setting Giltia on the disk and putting the Landstar's card in the graveyard as the image on the tablet shifted and twisted into an alternate one. "I sacrifice Landstar t' summon a new monster," the blond announced, smoke enveloping the stone as the newly carved image made way for a figure in robes and armor. "Giltia!"
The spear wielding monster leaped from his tablet with a mute shout, turning briefly to nod his head at is summoner. Evidently, Giltia was more of the silent type... Along with the serious type as well, given the curt look he'd received before the monster turned his attentions back to the field. It was the kind of look that said 'fighting now, talk later'.
That or 'don't bug me', and he really hoped it wasn't that one. Across from him Kajiki seemed more than prepared however, the tablet beside him beginning to glow as he laughed. "Really now," he shouted, his opponent paling somewhat as the blank stone carved an image on its form. "In that case, I activate my trap!" Trap... Oh shit... Katsuya winced as the blank tablet across from him revealed what looked to be an oncoming wave, gritting his teeth as an actual one tore from the stone to blast into his monster. With a garbled shout the warrior was drowned in the waters, the torrent of fluid acting like a hand as it pulled the monster back into the stone before crumbling into dust. And mere seconds after, the dust as well was gone... As for any water that had gotten on him...
That was likely blamed on the whale, which had conveniently leaped out of the water at that moment. Ignoring the fact that getting this wet from the whale wasn't possible from where he was... "Tch..." Not good... No monsters on the field, his summon wasted... He still had his trap, but if the word 'flying' in the fish's name was any sign, it would probably do dick all... Katsuya swallowed, regaining his stance as he watched his opponent continue. Well...
He mind as well give it a shot right? And... 'Man, that duelist is AWFUL!' Wait what. The blond twitched somewhat as the crowd jeered, clenching his jaw. 'I guess this makes for a bit of entertainment before the show starts though...' W-Wait... First turn they'd decided-
Those bastards..! He'd show them damn it! So what if the fish was a flying thing, this was supposed to work by the game rules anyways, not 'Pegasus' rulings! "Hn!" Kajiki snorted from across the blond, Katsuya in question attempting to calm himself down. "I called you a prawn before Jonouchi, but I think I'll have to change that to Krill! This isn't any fun at all," Kajiki continued with a near snarl, narrowing his eyes as he waved his hand. "If it weren't for your big mouth," he added darkly, "I wouldn't even have noticed you!"
"Gh- KRILL!" The tiny crap that whales ate! "YOU DAMN BASTAR-"
"Jonouchi," Anzu shouted from the side, the blond turning as his rage filled expression fell, "Calm down!" Ca- Calm down... Right...
Right, right... The blond swallowed, looking across the field as he took in a deep breath. Should probably take the lady's advice, hahaha. Well, he thought, looking back at his hand with a grimace, nothing else to do... "End turn," he growled under his breath, fists clenched as he looked at his blank tablet. This was all he had... He was counting on this!
So please prove that dark feeling in the back of his throat wrong..! "My turn then," Kajiki shouted, glancing at the blond's 'card' with somewhat narrowed eyes as he drew his card. That... That was definitely a look that said 'no problem'. Which meant problems for him... Ehhhh... "Hn! Here I come... The Flying Fish moves into attack mode," he shouted, pointing the monster forward as it dashed free from its tablet. The fish seemed to swirl through the air as it flipped forward, gaping mouth revealing rows of sharp teeth that had the blond grimacing in response. Kajiki of course, wasn't done yet... "It then moves to attack directly," he was shouting, the fish darting forward with an odd grunt sound, "TORPEDO CHARGE!"
Alright then! Katsuya waved his hand, motioning for the trap beside him to activate. "Act'vate th' trap 'Chasm 'f Spikes'," he shouted, tablet collpasing into dust across the ground before caving in the center of the field to reveal a near bottomless pit. The pit's spikes arose tall from opening below only for the blond's fears to be realized as the trap took affect. Though the tablet had ground to dust, and was sitting in the center of the field now, the Flying Fish was still moving, flapping its oversized fins and locking its mouth tight in a battering-ram styled charge. And it had eyes for only one thing, and that was him. "Oh fuck- GHN!" The blond was tossed back as the fish struck him in the stomach, body skidding a few feet across the ground with a groan before pulling himself up. "Ung..." Ow, ow, ow... What was with everything hitting his stomach, first Exodia, then that Psychic monster...
And how was he alive again..? "Hn! Moron," Kajiki shouted with a snort, evidently more aggravated than amused by the hit he'd made. "How can a flying monster fall into a pit! It doesn't work that way!" Nooooo, of course not... And evidently the blond growled mentally, he had yet to realize that Pegasus' rules didn't apply here, and that he'd actually gotten lucky... ...Bastard... Ow his stomach... "Now..." Now? Oh right, still his turn... Damn it... "I'll play another card face down and end my turn," Kajiki called out, narrowing his eyes as the blank tablet arose from the ground and the pitfall in the center of the field filled itself in. "But listen up," his opponent was growling. "If you don't plan to fight seriously then I'm calling off this match, understood!" Not fighting seri- Katsuya's jaw clenched, nails biting into his palms as he growled. Agggggh... He was, damn it, he was! He'd just had a bad 'first move'! ...Which... Really made for win or lose results now that he thought about it with a wince. ...(He should probably pay attention to what Kajiki was saying now...) "When I fight someone," the man was continuing as his opponent swallowed, eyes narrowing while he spoke, "I give that someone my all! It shows my respect for my opponent," he shouted angrily, "Just as with fishing! I try my hardest, no matter how small the catch," the Okinawan explained seriously, "To pull in the fish... Otherwise one day, a larger one will take me! I try my best... And I expect you to do the same!" Gh... He...
The blond's gaze fell somewhat, eyes trailing off to the flying fish that now hovered beside Kajiki's new blank tablet. The monster appeared to be staring at its summoner as it sat atop its tablet, blank fishy eyes looking at the man unblinkingly. "I can't go out to sea right now," Kajiki was saying, eyes narrowed as the whale beside them continued to jump about in its tank and send a wet mist over the field. "I don't have a boat," the man muttered, "Nor the money for a boat..." He didn't- ...Well, there wasn't a prize for anyone below first on that island after all... "That's why I'm here," Kajiki continued, nodding seriously as his opponent stared. "With the cards and the prize of this tournament," he added with a slight shrugging gesture, "I'll have enough to not only get home... But also to make my dream come true!" Well... If he got enough cards... "But even if it takes all my life," the man went on, "I know that the sea will wait; because the ocean is always waiting, ready for the day when we will battle!" Ah- ...Heh.
Waiting for a battle huh? Katsuya's expression grew more severe, the blond nodding in understanding. Alright... He got where this 'fish-freak' was coming from then... "Hn... I know what you're gettin' at Kajiki... Just like you," he continued, raising his voice with a stern and challenging stare, "There's someone out there that I wanna fight! Believe me when I say this," he shouted, drawing his next card and adding it to his hand as the image appeared fresh within his mind, "I don' have any regrets... An' no matter what," the blond continued even louder, "I'm fightin' yah at full strength! Now it's my turn," Katsuya roared, setting the cards and listening as tablets arose without even looking at his hand, "So here I come! First," he announced, watching as the first stone began to give itself a thick-lined carving that filled with smoke, "Th' Alligator Sword in attack mode!" The stone began to glow somewhat, Katsuya watching as the carved image of the warrior led to the lizard-like swordsman rushing out into the field. The monster gave a swift salute as it looked back at his summoner, but nonetheless held his tongue. There was a time and place, after all, and for the moment, it was time to fight. "Next, two face down cards," Katsuya shouted, the two blank tablets appearing at either side the pair flanking him in a way almost reminiscent of a temple's support. And with that prepared... "Turn over!"
"Heh..." Kajiki's former frown vanished as the man chuckled, a smirk reappearing on his face as he laughed. "Hehehe... Now that's what I'm talking about! Alright- It's my turn," Kajiki roared, drawing his card before switching his fish out from the disk for another card from his hand. "I'll use the Flying Fish as bait," the man announced, the fish vanishing with its tablet in a torrent of water that rose far above the duelist's height, "To bring about the half-man, half-fish monster... The Amphibian Beast!"
Bait? ...Er... Amphibia- As quickly as the thought came, a scaled, finned 'man' tore through the watery pillar that brought it about, tablet behind it washing out before re-carving into its image. What resembled silt quickly dried into the familiar hardened stone and clay, the fierce 'fish man' snarling at the opponents that stood before it. H-Hihhh... That did not look good... "This monster is a rare beast that attacks from both the land and sea," Kajiki was shouting, Katsuya narrowing his eyes as his opponent pointed the beast forward. Rare..? It looked like a movie fish-monster! But yea, it was still more powerful than the Alligator Sword he decided with an afterthought, glancing at his monster as the reptilian man gave a steady nod. "Are you ready," their opponent was 'asking', the nod indirectly answering, "He attacks now!"
Alright then! A screech tore through the air as the monster made to answer to its orders, his target's summoner merely gesturing toward the tablet at his side "Activate face down card," Katsuya called out, stone beside him carving out an image on its cover before vanishing into a dust that formed a thick box of sorts around his monster. The silt and dust hardened into place as the Amphibian charged, a series of head-shaped holes appearing as the monster in question paused out of shock. Ta-daaah... "Fairy Box!"
"W-What-!" Kajiki froze, eyes wide as he looked over the box and swallowed. "Six holes," he muttered, shaking his head. "What do I have to do, guess which one he's in?"
Ehhh... Kinda. The blond shook his head, smirking as he crossed his arms. "Heh... Not really," he 'explained', watching as his monster peeked out of the box only to duck back as his opponent growled and hissed, "You jus' gotta catch him as he comes outta th' hole!"
Of course, he thought with a mental chuckle, given that the Amphibian Beast was already having obvious issues trying to snap at the Alligator Sword's appearing and disappearing head, that was a lost...
...Cause..?
Awwww shit, the blank tablet on Kajiki's side was carving an image and turning to dust already. "Hmp! Nice try," Kajiki shouted with a grin, the sound of roaring water filling the air as Katsuya grew pale. Even as the image of waves appeared on the stone the tablet was collapsing... That was never a good sign... "Too bad I have this," he was muttering, chuckling under his breath. "Umi! The field spell- I'm taking this duel beneath the seas!"
Beneath the- ...The seas! Come to think, what would a field spell do to a... Field... Uh... Katsuya's eyes widened as the tablet's cloud of dust became water, the smell of the ocean filling the air as the wave rose high above and behind its summoner. With a rush and a crash the water abruptly collapsed to the ground, water came up to his ribs as he shielded himself from the spray. Awwww fuck! Fuuuuu- Wet... Wet wet wet wet... And even worse, he noted with a wince. "Gh- Th' box 's under th' water..!" He'd expected as much he supposed but...
Well thanks to the bubbles from his now drowning monster, whom was thankfully a large lunged alligator who wouldn't be running out of air for too long that Amphibian... Thing... "Amphibian Beast," Kajiki ordered, water splashing roughly against his opponent while it ran 'through' himself and left no sign of existence. "Hunt him down!"
Shit... The monster could see him clearly and like hell he was getting him! "Now," the blond roared, an image carving out on his other, partially submerged tablet. Despite being unable to see what he was setting on the field now he could at least tell it was activating as the tablet 'melted' beneath the seas. "My other face-down card... Th' Skull Dice!" Kajiki jumped somewhat as the hat-wearing imp cackled and launched itself out of the water, hovering above the sea and tossing his die to the waves below. "When that die lands," Katsuya continued, the die in question slowly sinking to the ground as he spoke, "That monster's attack is goin' down..." It's number was already decided too... Only the water was prolonging its magic, the block slowly sinking to the ground. As for the result... Hah! "With a four, that attack is goin' way down" he continued with a laugh, watching as his oxygen-deprived Alligator cut through the Amphibian Beast to leave a cloud of bloodied water in his wake. "Th' Amphibian Beast is d'stroyed!" Putting him in the lead as the water cleared, his Alligator surfacing just as the Skull Dice imp dissolved into a rain of sand that landed at the bottom of the sea.
"Hah! Well now Jonouchi..." Kajiki was shouting with a laugh, apparently ignorant to the fact that his opponent's jacket was 'floating' for no apparent reason. Probably using the wind as an excuse, with the water supposedly being the whale's fault really... Who knew what the excuse was for him already being more soaked than the 'fish' guy. Even so, the man was obviously pleased, still laughing as he crossed his arms. "It looks as though you fight well after all... This won't be boring then!"
Psh! Of course not! A similar grin appeared on his face nonetheless, the blond drawing his next card and laughing. "Heh! Our life points are almost ev'n Kajiki... This duel's only jus' started!" And soon enough, he'd be finishing it too! "It's my turn again," he shouted, narrowing his eyes with mirth as he looked over his hand. Only the 'beginning' and the crowd was roaring now, though for more varied reasons than the last 'wave' he noted.
'So this is a 'virtual card duel',' one was saying, a grin on their face as they looked down at the arena. 'It looks fun..!'
'Who's gonna win,' another was wondering, before a much louder shout cut the mutterings off.
'SHOW US THE WHALES ALREADY!'
Yea yea yea... Katsuya merely smirked, looking over his card before slipping it onto the disk as he shook his head. Alligator Sword was standing beside him, barely an inch or so taller than his summoner... And while he was more than enough to deal out a direct attack... The blond bit his lip, frowning. "I don' s'ppose you c'n attack in th' water," he asked under his breath, pretending to look over his hand as the monster shook his head.
"Naw man... Way too slow through this mess," he muttered, arms crossed as he looked at his 'summoner'. Interesting accent he had... What was that, Chinese?The alligator looked back over the field, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the empty 'sea'. "Hnnnn... You're gonna need flight..." Flight eh..?
The blond smirked, grabbing two cards from his hand with the word. Well, if that was all they needed... "Heh... Might be able t' fix tha' then," he muttered, setting the cards into place as the tablets came to the field. The tops of the stones were only about two inches above the water, leaving little to see from the stones... As it was, the monster tablet only just gained a foot in height as it glowed, summoning a monster to the field as Katsuya announced his move. "Alrigh'! Here I go... First," he shouted, the monster he'd set now pulling itself out of the tablet and seas both to hover above the waters, "Th' Baby Dragon! An' now," he continued, the dragon giving a low growl as it flapped its wings, "Polymerization!" Now how would this work, he wondered idly...
...Ahh... Though the tablet for the spell he'd set melted into the ground, turning into silt and sinking to the bottom of the sea in its activation. Beside him, Alligator Sword was climbing onto the Baby Dragon, the beast having grown somewhat in size with the activation without so much as a warning. With a curt nod and a salute the Alligator signalled his readiness, signifying the completion of the 'fuse'. The result... "Ta-daaaah! Alligator Sword Dragon!"
And Kajiki knew what that meant... "Gh-" He tensed, looking across the field with wide eyes as his opponent grinned. "A flying monster..!"
Hehehe... Damn straight! "Yep... It'll fly right over yer old ocean," the blond bragged, shifting his stance in the water with slight difficulty. "Got anythin' t' say 'r do," he 'asked' a somewhat dark grin in place as his opponent drew a card only to scowl. "Cause if y' don'," Katsuya continued with a laugh, "Then it's my turn! Th' Alligator attacks directly," he announced, his next card having been added to his hand as he logged the card's name in the back of his mind. Already his dragon was rising in the air, preparing to make a dive for its rider to launch an attack. "Go! GLIDE SWORD!" The shout was mirrored by his monster as the Baby Dragon swooped toward Kajiki, the Alligator's blade slicing through the man with seemingly no effect. Even so, the man appeared to stumble somewhat, as though being knocked back by a blunt force rather than a blade. "HahaHA! Yea! Th' sea's nothin' compared t' this," he shouted, a wide grin in place as his monsters returned to the side. Sure it was uncomfortable but... Heh! "Thi' 's a piece 'f cake!"
"You..." Suddenly, Kajiki's expression had grown grave... His eyes had widened just momentarily, before narrowing with an almost mournful glare, rage emanating off the man to the extent that Katsuya's own grin faded instantaneously. For some reason, he could hear the ocean at a far louder, inaccurate level than it was around them. Roaring waves, crashing down upon the seas...
And shouts, not that he could hear what they were saying. But despite the dark skies and the sounds of absolute chaos, nothing was happening... And then suddenly, it had returned to normal, his opponent's glare just as cold and fierce as it had been before Katsuya heard those sounds. "Gh.. It's my turn," the Okinawan raged, a pair of blank tablets appearing almost immediately as he set a pair of cards, the stones almost completely submerged beneath the waves. "Two cards," the man continued, eyes narrowing further. "See if you can guess what they are...!" Guess- Aw hell, he'd have at least been able to see if it was a monster if... "And with that, I end my turn!" O-Oiii... Oi oi oi!
The only reason he couldn't see them was because of the water, which he could only see because... Only he could see it! Aaaaugh!
Unless he was missing something here... And the field spell really did make this much water... "Tch... Back t' me then," he growled, drawing his next card. There was something there under the waters he noted, narrowing his eyes. But he couldn't see anything more than a shadow, something that could either be a living thing or simply a shadow of the tablet itself... Not a good feeling to say the least...
...But what was he worried about he told himself, swallowing back the unease with a nod. His monster could fly; he'd just take down whatever was out there! "Tch... Whatever... Alligator Sword Dragon," he ordered, the monsters both giving a curt nod as they took to the air to prepare for another strike. "Cross th' sea, and attack! Comin' from above," he continued, narrowing his eyes as he addressed his opponent, "There's no way you c'n d'fend usin' fish righ'?" And with that, he'd win...
But he somehow knew that wasn't the case right now, even as the monsters dove forward with the Alligator's blade at the ready. "Heheheh... Not so fast," Kajiki shouted, spirals of water launching from the seas to block the dragon's path. The torrents of water tore viciously at the monster's forms, razor-sharp spray slicing into their hides as they fled to tend to the shallow wounds. "Activate the trap card Tornado Wall!"
G- Shit! Waterspouts... The blond swallowed as his warrior gave a small 'thumbs up' from the air, returning as he rubbed his arm. They were fine... That was a relief really, but now he was blocked on all fronts, land, air, and water! And since this was a permanent trap, or so that weird 'sixth sense' was telling him (Best not to ask)... "Crap... A bluff..." He'd been thinking of the strategy Kajiki used against Yugi damn it... Where he'd simply hid monsters and not traps... But with all that happened, he had nothing else to do..! "Gh... Your turn then," he snarled, opponent smirking in response.
"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Go ahead and laugh... He'd get him back! "In that case, I play a single card and end my turn," Kajiki said with a grin, another tablet appearing beneath the waves as his opponent narrowed his eyes. Damn it damn it damn it... Two cards, either monsters or traps, and either way, he couldn't well do anything!
Tch... Given his chances, Kajiki was probably gathering tributes too... He drew his card, looking it over before staring ahead with a swallow. The tornadoes had gone down but... Well, if his gut had anything to say about it... "Perman'nt trap..."
"That's what it is, that's for sure..." The blond blinked, turning somewhat as the Alligator Warrior crossed his arms in thought. "If we attack," he continued with a low growl, "We'll be blocked yet again..." Tch... "But... If we attack anyways," the 'gator added with a grin, "We'll still force the opponent into view... Gaining the right to counter-attack..."
Which would allow them to wear away at the life points... Well... In that case... "I attack," Katsuya growled, an audible gasp coming from Anzu at the side. Yea, yea... Not the best idea, he knew but...
Better to try he thought, watching as the dragon and its rider dove towards the seas to pull back at the last minute to avoid the waterspouts that arose from the waters. "Heh! Are you an idiot," Kajiki asked, the flurry of tornadoes briefly blocking the dragon's attack yet again before sinking beneath the ocean. "This trap is permanent," he shouted with a laugh, "You can't attack!"
And again, he knew! There wasn't really much he could do about that... But to hell if he was sitting back and waiting for his monsters to di- "G-Lk!" Katsuya paled, turning as a single pair of spears skewered through both the Alligator and the Baby Dragon's necks. Blood had splattered from the ends of the spears, spraying their summoner across the face... Their cries were cut short however, becoming strangled as they plummeted into the seas beside him with a mighty crash. And as the water ran red, their bodies vanished into dust along with their barely visible tablets as the remains sank to the bottom as disappearing silt.
"What... What..." The blond turned back toward the seas, swallowing as the blood drained from his face. "But where... Where th' hell did those come from," he asked partially to himself, "I w's watchin' th' entire time..!" Watching for the monster, waiting... And still... Still there'd been an attack... Across from him Kajiki was merely smirking, happily taking advantage of the fact that he didn't need to announce an attack or even a rebounded strike from his unseen monster. This... This really wasn't good... "Shit..." He was fighting something hidden below the seas after all..! The blond grabbed a card from his hand, setting it on the field and watching as a small glow came from the submerged tablet that appeared as a result. He couldn't summon a monster in attack mode after his battle phase but... "I'll set an'ther card face down an' end my turn," he shouted, biting his lip and glancing at his defensive 'Little Winguard'. Hell his tablet was so short he couldn't even see the top of it... Shit... Just... Shit...
"Hahahahaha...! And that means its my turn," his opponent shouted, the whale in the tank beside them giving another 'obligatory jump'. The sound of rushing water met his ears, a harpoon flying from some unknown location in the air before running through the water. The tablet was destroyed... He didn't need to see it to realize that, but... "Jonouchi..." The blond grit his teeth, swallowing as he looked back up from the field. "This is the terror of the sea," Kajiki roared at his opponent, the teen merely narrowing his eyes at the waters around him in a frantic search. Where... He knew something was here but where... "Do you still think that the sea is 'not so tough', as you say," the man before him was continuing to 'ask', tone clearly laced with aggravation as Katsuya clenched his jaw.
Shut up, just... Just shut up and let him think for once damn it..!
"It's still my turn," Kajiki said with a grin, another barely visible tablet appearing beneath the seas to his opponent's distaste. "And I'll play yet another card," he continued, laughing as Katsuya's face continued to fall. "Then I end my turn!" Shit...
He had to be preparing for something damn it... But all this water was so high it was past the waist-high top of the water tank! The only thing telling him where the arena limit was was the killer whale that kept jumping around, and even then whenever something really big was summoned it ended up going past the limit anyways! "Rggh..." He drew his next card, setting it on the disk without looking at what he'd ended up with once again as the tablet appeared to his side beneath the waves. "I play a face down card," he shouted, grabbing another card and setting it on the disk as its corresponding tablet arose from the ground, "An' anoth'r monster in d'fense mode!" And another tablet he couldn't see under the waves... Rocket Warrior. If not for everything else, he'd have been great for dealing damage but... Well until he knew what was attacking he needed to play it safe. Damn it, if he could just do something else-
"Battening down the hatches ah, Jonouchi..." Kajiki chuckled from across the blond, Katsuya merely grumbling under his breath. Yea, yea, and what the hell did that even mean- "Well get ready! Using these two monsters," he shouted, two of the barely hidden tablets 'melting' into the sea as the waves converged behind the duelist, "I call forth the ultimate sea beast! The monster of the seas... And there she blows," Kajiki roared, a tablet rising tall behind the man as an enormous shadow appeared to rise from the waters below. "THE FORTRESS WHALE!"
With a massive swell of waters the monster appeared, a loud and low moan shaking through the air as two fins splashed against the ground and waters, passing through the people at the side without anyone being the wiser. Like the unseen lovechild of a narwhal and a blue whale the monster 'floated', tail slapping against the waters that just barely touched its chin.
Holy... Shit. The monster took up the entire field easily, massive girth somehow managing to curl around its summoner. "W-Wha'..." Alright. That was it damn it. "WHERE TH' HELL DID THAT THING COME FROM!" Who cared about tablets and crap, this was a whale the size of the aquarium! In waist deep water! ...Okay, nipple deep, but seriously, what the hell! He hated keeping this crap bottled in his lungs, if they thought he was crazy then fine! This. Wasn't. NORMAL.
And yet no one else seemed to think that, as apparently the hologram was as big or almost as big as the real-life version he saw now. "Hahahahaha! That's right," Kajiki was howling with a laugh, ignoring the incredulous shouts and stares from his opponent. "The biggest fish in the seas... Powered up by the Umi field spell at that!" Awwww fuck! This thing wasn't even a fish damn it, it was some kind of mutant whale, and-
...And...
The blond stared, watching as the whale 'flapped' its stubby fins before rising high above in the air and casting a shadow around them. Waves of water splashed against the blond as he held his deck above the water, before staring at the beast with incredulous eyes as it gave another low moan and continued to slowly flap its wings. The great whale was now at least twenty feet above them in the air, staring down with a fortress armed with turrets on its back and... ...Seriously... What.
The fuck. "It can FLY," he shouted, grabbing his head with his free hand before looking back at Kajiki. "Your monster's a FLYING whale!"
Kajiki evidently chose to ignore that shout, merely grinning darkly as his opponent continued to stare. "Jonouchi... With all your warriors and beast warriors, monsters of the land..." The man shook his head, chuckling under his breath as he went on. "They won't stand a chance when my great Fortress Whale launches his attack from above! Let this be a lesson... Don't you take the power of the sea lightly! I can never forgive those who do!" Okay! Okay damn it, if it meant avoiding an impending belly-flop then- ...Wow... This... ...This was a pretty sore point for him, why the hell was-
The blond paled, swallowing as the waters appeared to again converge and swirl in a rough and storming fashion. He...
...He could hear screams again...
"I know first hand the dangers of the ocean," Kajiki muttered, looking toward Katsuya with hate filled eyes. "We fishermen cary the scars from our battles with the sea all our lives... Just as my father before me!" Before..!
But... That would mean... The blond blinked, staring in silence as he rolled the words around in his mind. "But you said... Y' said you were gonna save up f'r a boat t' sail w'th 'm," Katsuya muttered, shaking his head. "Yer dad's alive, you said you were... Were..."
"...A long time ago," the man before him muttered lowly, appearing to space out to a small extent, "...My dad and I lost a battle with the sea... For us," he continued with a swallow, "Losing your boat is like losing your life... Thanks to our boat being destroyed, he would have to take the boats of others on days where those fishermen deemed the ocean too rough to sail upon, so that he could make even a small catch... And that's how I lost him," he said quietly, head bowed in grief as the sounds of a storming sea continued to fill his opponent's mind. "So do you understand? The powers of the ocean," he asked almost pitifully before his voice again raised to a dangerous snarl. "I'll teach you... I'll teach you to fear it, to respect it," he roared, fists clenched tightly as he again glared at his opponent.
Would he now... ...What was with all the secrets..? "...Kajiki," Katsuya muttered, narrowing his eyes as he steeled himself. "Yer a proud duelist," he said calmly, "An' I r'spect y' for it..." Hell, if he'd known about his dad before... ...Well, he probably wouldn't have made that 'ocean' comment, that was for sure. "But so long as I'm alive," he growled, fists clenched as the waters around them continued to rage, "I ain't givin' up!"
"Then just you try and stand up to the ocean," Kajiki roared, pointing his monster 'forward' as the whale above him moaned. "It's still my turn... And I attack! And if you think your single defense monster is enough to save you," he continued with a dark grin, the turrets on his whale's back giving a loud 'whirr' as they spun toward the blond below, "You can think again!" Gh-! Without even looking he knew what Kajiki had meant by that, the top of his defense monster's tablet sinking into the sea yet again as a spea appeared seemingly from nowhere. Another attack...
But from where! All he'd seen was that killer whale jumping around again! (That thing was getting in the way...)
"Hehehe... Brace yourself," Kajiki roared, the turrets on Fortress Whale's back now turning on the 'aim-assist' lasers as they honed in on the defenseless blond.
Oh hell no. There was no room for emotions on Katsuya's face as he stared upward, the whale appearing to leer at him as his face went white.
Hell no. "H-Hah..."
"Aim... And fire the cannons," Kajiki roared, motioning for the strike. "WHALE BOMBARD!"
The sound of multiple cannon shots tore through the air with those words, the reaction almost imminent. Solid steelrounds charged toward the blond, striking the waters around him as spouts of water struck him from each one. Miss... Miss... He couldn't see a thing past this water, where was- "GHRAAAACK!" Hit. Water surrounded Katsuya as he was blown back, 'stumbling' back in slow motion as he fell toward the ground. The small but exceedingly painful cannon ball rolled off his stomach as he sank beneath the waves, choking under the waters as he painfully opened his eyes to squint upward. Ow... Ow... O- Oh shit. "Mnnbl!" Shit, AIR! He pulled himself above the water, doubling over in a cough as he looked at his deck and straightened himself. Aaaaaahhhh crap... The water, had it ruined the... ...Cards...
Katsuya blinked, looking at the deck on his wrist. ...It hadn't... The deck was still dry, in the same condition it had been before the attack... And...
And he also only had three hundred life points left he noted with a wince, which was both more and less jarring than the extremely painful and sensitive bruise on his stomach. The bruise that had him barely holding back his ramen lunch as a result. And as for his resolve... A mix of promises and general hate were keeping the blond on his legs in addition to the 'support' of the water, along with the look on his opponent's face. An almost sneering grin, effectively conveying one single message... 'I win', he was saying, despite Katsuya being unable to hear him thanks to the water in his ears. Win...
To hell he did..! And yet the thoughts of the crowd were agreeing with the statement just as clearly, only barely drowned out by Anzu's own shouts. 'Don't give up,' she was calling, the blond opting to listen to his friend's shouts rather than the crowd's. 'You've just got to win this one duel and you'll be in the finals with Yugi,' the woman continued encouragingly, 'So keep at it!' He was, he was damn it!
If the crowd would just shut up and- "Stop jumping so high damn it..." E... Eh? Katsuya blinked, aggravated expression fading as he looked toward the tank where the Killer Whale was jumping. Someone said something but... The only thing jumping was the wh- A second whale joined the first in the flips, the blond shaking himself. Okay. Just two whales then and-
Wait, two? Didn't the aquarium only have one..? "...Heh..."
The second whale jumped through the air once more, a flash of dark skin visible on the side as Katsuya stared. There... He was right there..! A small smirk came over his face, quickly vanishing as he turned back. Heh... Found him. And looking back at Kajiki with narrowed eyes, he watched as the Okinawan crossed his arms impatiently, frowning. "Hey hey... What are you waiting for Jonouchi? It's your turn," he shouted, "Hurry up and play a card! Did you give up," the man asked, a smirk on his face as his opponent held silent. "Did your spirit from before vanish? Those strong eyes I saw before... They're nothing but the eyes of a dead fish now! What happened to the eyes I saw when you came here, into my territory, challenging me so readily to a duel," he called out, the smirk vanishing somewhat into an odd, seemingly angered grin.
His territory? Hn! It might have been his territory Katsuya muttered mentally, but he still had an idea of how to deal with that now! "Tch... I'm still fightin'," he growled, drawing his card and mentally nodding to himself. Just what he needed This was exactly what he needed! And in his hand, another spell, Panther warrior, and on the field was his face down... Alright. "Here I go," he shouted, a plan coming to mind. "Two more cards face down," the blond announced, the two tablets appearing somewhat in view below the continually raging seas. "An' then... Th' Panther Warrior," he called out as a third, much taller tablet appeared at his side, "In attack mode!" The third tablet to appear initially glowed as the image of its monster carved away on its form, before bubbles streamed from beneath it rather than the familiar smoke. Without any other warning than that, the Panther pulled itself above the water, shaking the salt water from its fur and looking at Katsuya with a frown.
"Water," he asked with a growl, coming to his full height beside his summoner, "Really?"
"Tch... C'mon," he hissed under his breath, again pretending to go over his hand, "Ain't panthers' s'pposed to like water?"
Evidently, this was an insult, as suddenly the Panther was looking a lot more peeved than he tended to look throughout the day. "You... Those are jaguars," he roared, baring his teeth with a snarl. "I'M A LEOPARD!"
"Gh- How th' hell was I s'pposed t' kno-"
"If you were looking, I have smaller spots! It's an obvious fact!"
"'Xceptin' that yer a black panther," he muttered under his breath, the warrior's fur bristling at the comment.
"If you were LOOKING-"
The conversation was cut short as the two looked toward their opponent, watching as the man howled with laughter. What the hell was he laughing at, he couldn't hear what they were saying... "HAHAHAHA! Jonouchi... That's just another Beast-Warrior," Kajiki howled, shaking his head as he laughed. "A monster that can't swim or fly- just another target! For a last stand," the man continued, holding his head. "That's more than pathetic! That's just... HaHAAA!" Alright! Alright he got it! "Now..." Kajiki drew his next card as it came to his turn, calming himself as he continued. "This is the end," he shouted, narrowing his eyes as he set a card on the disk. "First, Sea Snake in defense mode," Kajiki announced, another ocean buried tablet coming to the field before the serpent's eyes and nose poked above the water with a leer. "And then I'll attack... First by stealth, and then by whale! GO," he shouted, his opponent crossing his arms. And..
Now. The blond's eyes darted to the side, watching the 'two' whales as they swam. Side by side they were swimming in the tank, before taking turns to leap up into the air. Real one... Real one again... And...
...Now! "Activate th' face down card," he announced, the familiar claw-like trap arm launching from the waters as the next whale leaped out of the water. The claws opened wide as the fisherman on the whale's back turned, the spear in his hands falling to the waters in shock. Hah! "Magic Arm Shield! Hide an' seek's over Kajiki," he shouted, directing the 'arm' toward the whale and the fisherman that rode it. Huh... Now that he was watching it launch out and grab the man and whale both, it looked kinda like... ...Kajiki... ...That was weird... He shook it off, smirk renewing as the whale above them moaned. "I got your monster now... An' now y'r whale can take 'm instead!"
With those very words the trap arm jerked to the side, turning the captured fisherman toward the Fortress Whale's line of sight. The monster looked down as the shield arm moved, bleary eyes only seeing smudges as it took aim with the many turrets on its back... "Gh..." The Fisherman paled, pulling at his leg as he looked from the trap to the cannons as the echoing 'boom' sounded through the air. "No!" And as the shout sounded through the air each and every cannon ball struck, the shield arm dropping after the first strike as the rounds of steel lowered their aim to follow a now sinking body. It was a bloodless kill thankfully, but nonetheless just as jarring... As the fisherman sank to the bottom of the seas, the whale above seemed to realize its mistake and 'sing' in a mournful call, its summoner as well paling as the body vanished.
"My... My fisherman..." Shock quickly turned to horror, the man clenching his jaw as he looked across the field in rage filled desperation. "You..." Kajiki shook his head, eyes wide. "You can't say that your Panther Warrior wasn't caught in the line of fire as well..! Fortress Whale attacks all monsters at once," he continued angrily, "There's no way-" No way it missed? Yea well it did.
And besides... "Y' sure abou' that," Katsuya asked, his Panther Warrior spinning the chain that had also appeared beneath the seas. He looked decidedly ticked about having to dive for the weapon, but as he tossed the boomerang-shaped kunai upward to catch around the Fortress Whale's 'tooth' he seemed to get over it. "Take a look at this! My other trap card... Kunai with Chain! And while he's scalin' your whale," he continued, watching as the Panther Warrior swung himself up and used his blade as a hold in the monster's massive hide, "I'll activate my next spell!"
"Your next..." Blood continued to drain from his opponent's face, the Okinawan swallowing nervously. "I... I don't believe you," Kajiki muttered incredulously, shaking his head and gesturing to the field, "You're challenging the Fortress Whale... With this!"
"What c'n I say," the blond said with a shrug, "I'm a man on a mission... An' not e'vn th' biggest monster in th' ocean's gonna stop me!" Probably wasn't even the biggest, but who knew... "My monster might not be able t' fly like yer whale," he continued, narrowing his eyes with a grin as the Panther continued to climb, "But now that he's on th' monster's back, we're on th' same level..."
"Yea," the Panther muttered dryly, watching as the whale's cannon turrets all turned toward him, "Now I'm on the front lines..." Shut up!
"But... The Whale is still stronger," Kajiki protested, the Panther meanwhile making a motion that said 'He's right!' from there. "If anything, you're in more danger now!"
"He has a point," Anzu was shouting from the side, her friend merely holding his smirk. "Jonouchi," she continued with a frown, "If you attack, you'll just put yourself in more trouble!"
"Y' think so?" Kajiki paled at those words, Katsuya merely waving his hand to activate his final spell like he'd said. The tablet vanished beneath the seas, a slight glow appearing at his sides. "Panther Warrior... Y' know what t' do!" The cat nodded, pulling his blade out from the side before charging the fortress portion and ramming his sword into to mixed metal and flesh as far as he could, chain in his hands wrapping around the hilt before he stepped back and nodded. The whale, obviously, didn't much appreciate that however... The horn... Tooth, really, poking through its upper lip began to spin viciously as the monster made its descent from the beast, shaking the Panther off his back as the monster yowled. "Gh-!" Panther-
Bubbles rose from the waters as the monster fell under, his summoner swallowing nervously. Please don't let that count as an attack, please don't- "Bluh! Plah!" Yes! The cat pulled himself above the waters, spitting out a mouthful of salt and spray before again shaking himself and glaring at his summoner. "The next time you summon me there better not be a droplet in sight," he roared, Katsuya merely laughing somewhat under his breath. Oi oi... What was it with cats... And anyways...
Continuing his move... "R'member that spell I mentioned," the blond shouted, giving his warrior a look as it scowled. Yea, yea, sorry but... Swords sunk, alright? And now wasn't the time! The monster dove under, moments passing before the monster reappeared with blade gripped in its teeth as it surfaced. Again the monster shook the sea water from his fur, before holding the blade high above the waves with a nod. Telling Kajiki to take a look at the whale would be pointless he supposed but... "Hehehe..." Thank you Science class, for giving him this insane idea. "Take a look at this," the blond shouted with a grin, gesturing loosely toward the whale. "Righ' now, Panther Warrior has 2500 attack points... Just a little below your whale's 2550... But wi' th' spell Lightnin' blade..!"
"G-Gh..." Kajiki swallowed, quickly adding the extra 800 points to the count. "3350..!" Hehehe...
"Yep... An' wi' that," he continued, the Panther Warrior's new sword sending a line of electricity toward his old, lightning rod-acting blade jammed into the monster's hide, "Th' Fortress Whale goes down!" And thanks to the chain that so surrounded the beast... "Hehehe... Thanks t' th' Electric attack it does double th' damage," he continued, watching as the lightning danced along the chain and sword wrapped about the monster. The whale above lit up like some sort of twisted, fat christmas tree, smoke emiting from its blow hole and mouth as it plummeted into the sea. The tablet bearing his image melted into the waters as the whale sank, body disappearing along with it as Katsuya stared. Somehow, this seemed to make the 'hotdog-electrocution' experiment in class a lot more morbid... But hey! The whale was gone... And more importantly, he thought with a smirk... "By th' way... That 'lectric attack applies t' yer Sea Serpent too," the blond shouted, the snake in question suffering under the weight of the whale that had crushed it. Something just told him that Kajiki hadn't seen that... But given that the snake wasn't coming back up, and the tablet just melted, he'd say they were done.
In any case... "Hn!" The Panther Warrior snatched the chain boomerang as it returned to him from the whale's dead form, sheathing the Lightning blade and pulling back his own familiar sword from the other end of the chain. "Much better," he muttered, large grin on his face as he twirled the blade. Oh come on, they were close enough..!
Though he should probably be watching for his opponent's next move now... "You..." The blond blinked as Kajiki's mutterings came over the air, listening as the Okinawan continued. "You held off on activating that card so you wouldn't electrocute yourself, didn't you," Kajiki muttered as he over came his shock, Katsuya holding silent. Actually, Panther Warrior just got shaken off... Though he supposed he should have thought of that. As to what he would do now... "...It's my turn now," the man continued, drawing a card and staring at it for a moment before setting it on the disk. "...I'll play this spell card and end my turn." Spell- Katsuya swallowed, gritting his teeth as the waves revealed no change to the field. Stupid water, he couldn't see what it was..! But as another tablet appeared beneath the waters, he had to scowl, narrowing his eyes. Shit...
He'd summoned something... And even with Panther Warrior's current power, rushing in would be a bad idea; hell, for all he knew it wasn't even a monster! But something told him that his next card... "Heh! Here goes," Katsuya shouted, drawing his card with a smirk. Hadn't even drawn and he'd known... For once, this 'flash' thing was coming in handy! "It's my turn!"
Kajiki nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Bring it on! But remember," he continued threateningly, "With the Kunai's initial attack used, you can't cross the seas any more... So you won't be attacking!"
That what he thought? Hah! "Wrong! Th' Panther Warrior's gonna attack this turn..." Kajiki narrowed his eyes at the boast, the Panther Warrior merely eying the water before looking at his summoner in distaste. "But first," the blond continued with a slight cough, ducking the glare and setting his card on the disk as an unseen tablet came on the field, "I'll play this! GIANT TRUNADE!" A vicious wind developed in the sky, the Panther Warrior ducking as his equipment was swept away by the gale, ripped from his clawed hands as he shook the sting off. The wind continued to converge as it blustered, Katsuya's hair whipping around his face as a head appeared to arise from within the circling winds above... Spinning, spinning... Swirling above into an enormous funnel, pulling the seawater up from the field in an act that lasted mere seconds, leaving the tank to the side untouched. "Heh... My equipment spells might be gone now," he muttered, Panther still rubbing his hands from the chain burn he'd received, "But so are all your spells... An' that includes Umi! This storm takes in even th' seas! Now," Katsuya shouted, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the field, "Lets see what monster y'..." ...Wait what...
"Tch... Beached..." A tanned man with matted black hair and numerous scars met his gaze, low mutterings easily meeting Katsuya's ears. It was the Legendary Fisherman... He was sitting along side his now beached Killer Whale, spear on the ground... "You need water," he muttered, the whale merely appearing to wince under the searing sun above. This monster... The Panther Warrior held his blade to the Fisherman's throat, the man standing up with a swallow as he was brought to the cat's mercy. "...Take him first," he asked, gesturing to the whale at the side, swallowing as he met the panther's gaze. "...He's in pain..."
The Panther stared, looking at the whale with an unseen expression before bowing his head. "...Alright." With a swift cut the whale was struck through the head by the warrior's blade, the monster appearing to smoke away along with its owner in an instant.
"Thank-you," the whale's owner whispered, the Panther nodding as he as well began to vanish. The Fisherman was gone, and he'd won... But as the remaining monsters and tablets on field vanished to nothingness, the sky clearing to the bright and nearly blinding state it had been prior...
"...Why..." He shook his head, monsters on the field staring before they too vanished from sight completely. "Why did you..."
Kajiki's expression was pained, tightly drawn as he bowed his head, Katsuya standing in place as his water-logged clothing stuck to his skin. "This card," he muttered with a choke, shaking his head. "...It's the only one I don't want to see dead... The only one..."
"...Kajiki..." The blond walked over, water making thick sloshing noises from inside his shoes as the salt water dripped off his hair. Wet, completely wet... And to bring back that card... "You..."
"...You win," the man muttered, his cards returned from the grave to his deck as he pulled a locator card from his shorts pocket. He held it forward, along with the Fortress Whale his grave had spat out, swallowing. "You did it," he continued, attempting to lace his voice with cheer. "...You..."
Yea he won... But he didn't feel happy at all... More over... "Kajiki," he muttered, not taking the cards from the man's hand, "That last move..."
The Okinawan stared, somehow forcing a grin on his face as he shrugged. "Heh! You... You did good Jonouchi..! I guess you're not so bad after all," he continued, weak laughter sounding forced as he trailed off. "Ahahaha! Haha... Hah..."
He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he looked at the man. "Now hold on a sec..! If you had a card t' bring back th' Fisherman, why didn't you use it t' bring back th' Whale," he asked, pointing to the card in the Okinawan's hand. "You wouldn't have lost if you did that," he continued with a snarl, "So why?"
"It doesn't matter," Kajiki said with a shrug, setting the rest of his deck carefully in his pocket as his duel disk folded back up. "All that matters is that you won; you got me... Isn't that enough for you?"
No it wasn't! "Don't ev'n say that," he growled, roughly pulling the cards from his own disk as it re-set itself, "We're both duelists... An' if you threw that game over a dead whale," the blond continued dangerously, "I wan' a rematch!"
Silence sat over the air at that, even the crowd gaining a hush in response. "...Jonouchi," Kajiki muttered, still holding the ante in his hand, "That card I brought back was my trump card, and you beat it; I didn't want to prolong the duel after that... Because this card," he continued, Katsuya listening with mild confusion. "...This card is the very soul of my deck..." The man pulled out the last card on his disk as he said this, looking at it wistfully as the fisherman from the card in question appeared behind him. "...I've been fighting alongside this card for a long time," Kajiki muttered as he held the card, "Me and this sea deck... Fighting and winning with this fisherman that so resembles him..."
Heh? "Him," Katsuya muttered, frowning somewhat as the spirit behind his former opponent nodded.
"My son," he stated calmly, voice echoing as the young man before him spoke at the same moment.
"My dad..." His dad... Woah... Woah woah wait- What did that monster just say? Katsuya swallowed, eyes widening briefly as Kajiki continued, unaware of the attention Katsuya was paying to the 'space' behind him. "...When I got this card," Kajiki stated quietly, "I told myself, I would always use this card to finish a match, to catch the end of a duel... Just like how my Dad and I would fight the waves on the sea," the man continued, swallowing as he stared at the card. "And I... I believe he's still out there," he went on, shaking as he looked up at the sky and continued to choke. Tears were running down his face as he held his card close, unable to hear or feel the man behind him as the fisherman laid a hand on his 'son's shoulder in comfort. "I believe he's somewhere out there, on the seas... That's why... That's why I couldn't leave this card in the graveyard," he wept, again bowing his head as he shook. "Even if it meant I lost..."
...Kajiki... Katsuya stared, holding silent before a third voice took his attention. "...Perhaps it's time you moved on," the Fisherman was whispering behind his 'summoner', comforting hand on the Okinawan's shoulder as Kajiki rubbed his eyes. "...Go home, Ryota," he continued, rubbing his 'son's shoulders with a smile. "Catch your own fish... You're a man now..." That was all great but...
Didn't this guy know he couldn't hear him..? "...I'm acting pretty silly huh," Kajiki said with a laugh, plastering another grin on his face as the Fisherman stopped talking. "Crying like this, acting like this... And I call myself a duelist?" The man shook his head, laughing weakly as he looked back at Katsuya. "The point of this... It's winning no matter what right," he asked, the weak smile faltering as he held his cards. "Hahahaha..."
Katsuya shook his head, expression somewhat sympathetic as he looked at his former opponent. "Naw," he muttered, nodding as he stared at the 'two' before him. "Th' point is fightin' f'r what matters th' most," he said plainly. Kajiki blinked, looking at the blond as Katsuya continued with a small smirk. "If I were you... I'd 'v done th' same thing, got that..?"
The man stared, before an honest smile came over him. "I see... Well... As agreed," he stated calmly, holding out the two cards he'd been holding in his other hand, "The Fortress Whale, and your last Locator Card... In addition," he continued, handing the card in his other hand forward as his former opponent took the first two, "This..." Th- The Legendary Fisherman? "In Battle City," Kajiki explained, "The rule is for the loser to give his most important card to the one who defeated him... It's not rare," he continued with a slight shrug, "Not to the card rulings... But to me, it's the most important card I own. And that means it's yours now Jonouchi," the man stated plainly, still holding the card out for his former opponent.
His..! Katsuya jumped, looking from the card to the man who had come from inside it as the Fisherman also blinked. The Legendary Fisherman..! "H-Hey," he muttered, shaking his head, "I can't do that..! It means too much to you, I-"
"...Ryota," the Fisherman muttered, staring at his summoner with a confused frown.
Kajiki shook his head at Katsuya's words, still holding the card out for the blond. "No... I realized something, while we were fighting," he said with a sad smile, the expression appearing somewhat wry as he continued. "My Dad might be lost to the seas, but if he was here with me, he'd be telling me... 'A card is just a card Ryota! You're relying too much on a card that looks like me... What you should really believe in...
"Is your own heart," the Fisherman muttered under his breath, words mirroring his 'son's as he spoke. The Legendary Fisherman smiled with the same sad, wry expression Kajiki held, shaking his head as Katsuya momentarily looked at the man. The spirit's words and those of his 'son' were almost identical... From start to finish. "...Even when I'm not there Ryota, I will always fight by your side," he whispered, fading into the card as Katsuya nodded to himself. "Remember that..."
Alright... If the monster was alright with it, and Kajiki was insisting... "Alrigh'," Katsuya said with a nod, taking the card and adding it to his deck with the others as he smiled. "You've convinced me... I'll take it!"
"Hah!" Kajiki grinned at that, cheer from before the duel quickly renewed as he laughed. "Haha!Alright! But next time," he shouted, clapping the blond's hand in his own with an iron grip, "I'll win, you got that?"
"Heh! You can try," he responded with a snort, "But by then, I'll be stronger too, y' got that?" Cheers were surrounding the arena as they spoke, along with conversational mutterings as what looked to be aquarium staff moved toward the tank... Katsuya released the grip he'd held with Kajiki, waving as he moved to join Anzu. "I'll see yah some other time alrigh'," he shouted, Kajiki nodding with a grin. "I hope y' get that boat!"
"Hahaha! And I wish you luck in the finals," the Okinawan shouted in response, moving as the staff brushed behind him. "Alright?"
Heh... Alright. "Jonouchi," a familiar voice shouted, the blond turning as Anzu ran over from the side. Katsuya continued to grin, laughing somewhat as he and Anzu both made their way back into the Aquarium building to leave. "Hah... Congratulations," she said cheerfully, pushing the main door open for her friend, "You-" She frowned, looking down at the blond's shoes before following the 'water trail' up to his head and hair. "...You're... All... Wet..."
The blond swallowed, looking over himself momentarily before laughing nervously. "Hahahaha..." Ehhh... "Y-Yeaaa... Hahaha... It was jus' th' whale in th' tank," he said with a cough, stowing the locator card he'd received in his pocket. "Nothin' big," he continued, grinning. "A little uncomfortable but..." But please buy it...
"If you say so," she said with a shrug, a scowl coming over her as she sniffed at the air. "Ughh... You smell like fish," she muttered, coughing as she waved a hand over her face. "Oh my god... Augh..."
"Oi oi..." It wasn't that bad! Katsuya scowled as the pair walked out into the sun again, before tensing as an odd feeling came over him. A strong wind blew past, the blond stopping in his tracks as the scowl lightened to a more confused frown. What... What was... He turned, looking toward the square in front of the aquarium with wide eyes. Someone... Someone was here but... His eyes widened further as two figures caught his eye, one a tanned, blond foreigner and the other the semi-conscious form of the very friend they'd opted to wait for until after the duel.
And it would probably be good to notice that his arm was bandaged in a rag, and that there was blood dripping off his fingers. "B...Bakura!" 'Hang in there,' the tanned one was saying with a thick accent, stumbling somewhat over his words as he attempted to support the albino. 'Are you alright,' he asked, 'I'll look for a phone...'
"B-Bakura..." Anzu and Katsuya both ran over, eyes wide as the foreign teen looked up. "What... What happened," the woman muttered with eyes wide, "Who are you," she asked, shaking her head. The woman quickly pulled her purse around, digging for the phone she'd checked earlier as she held up a hand. "...You know what," she said quickly, "Don't answer, I'll call an ambulance..." Yea that was probably a good idea given that he was bleeding through whatever rag had been used to tie off his arm... Which wasn't tied too well either!
The two teens before them fell to their knees, Katsuya attempting to help Bakura into a sitting position as Anzu moved to make the call. "Let 'm sit," he muttered to the foreigner, the tanned teen blinking as Katsuya continued. "Let 'm sit down, calm 'm down t' slow th' bleeding," he muttered, swallowing as he attempted to steady his friend. Thank-you mandatory first aid classes... And here he'd wondered when he'd be using all the stuff they made him learn for the security shift... ...And while they were dealing with that... The blond frowned, putting some pressure on the 'bandage' around Bakura's arms. "You... What th' hell happened to 'm," Katsuya growled, turning on the tanned one with narrowed eyes. Something was not right about this at all... He could feel the ring underneath Bakura's shirt, but skewered hands on a Monster World table aside there was no way the 'other Bakura' would just sit around if he was being attacked..!
Not to mention that he didn't remember any duel monsters that looked like floating flames! "You... Are you his friends," the teen was asking hesitantly, looking to the others in apparent confusion. "I found him collapsed a little ways down the road," he continued with a swallow, "And I helped as best I could, but I don't know the number for the hospital..." And... This accent combined with broken Japanese was hurting his head...
Yea... This guy was no help. "G...Gnhh..." Ah-!
Katsuya jumped, quickly grabbing his friend's shoulders as Bakura began moving, and watching as the albino weakly opened his eyes. "Bakura... Bakura," he muttered as the teen slowly looked up at the blond, "C'mon man, listen t' me... Y' need t' tell me who did this to you alright," he asked, his friend blinking blearily as he shook. "Who did this?"
"I... J-Jonouchi-kun..." The albino swallowed, breathing nervously as he looked at the blond. "I don't know," Bakura cried, shaking his head. "All I remember is waking up this morning, I don't remember anything else..!" Nothing...
Nothing at all..? ...Well, in any case, he should probably... Calm down or... "HEY! There he is!" Katsuya turned, narrowing his eyes as a pair of thugs moved toward them from the side street. "Hey PUNK," the taller shouted, looking toward Bakura as the others frowned. "Where the hell do you get off, stealing my friend's disk?" Stealing? ...Bakura?
Bakura looked down at his arm with that comment, the others frowning as well while Anzu looked back from her completed phone call. "Duel disk... But I..." He shook his head, the others staring as the albino coughed. "I don't remember..!" Ohhh shit...
"Like hell you don't," the second man growled, charging as the foreign teen moved to 'shield' the others. "How about we knock the memory back into you then!"
"This isn't the time," the teen shouted in broken Japanese, gesturing to the two behind him. "He's hurt, he- NH!" Katsuya turned as the unknown teen fell back, having been right up close to the angered duelist's right hook. "Nggh..."
"H-Hey!" The foreign teen groaned, rubbing his cheek. "Nameless-guy..!" The blond tensed, watching as Anzu moved to help both him and Bakura before moving forward and cracking his knuckles. Suspicious characters or no, these two were just... "Tch... Alright y' asshats... How abou' you deal wi' me!"
The two stared, trading glances and shrugs. "Eh?"
"Well," the second decided, "If it gets us to- GOH-!" Stop talking. The first hit was a solid kick to the first guy's gut, the second momentarily frozen in shock as Katsuya moved. Then while he doubled over, a re-turning blow to the man's back to send him down, groaning on the ground... And as the next guy moved forward with his fists...
Duck, grab arm, toss, he thought to himself, ignoring the water that flew in his eyes from his hair as he did just that. "HAH!"
There was a loud 'thud' as the man landed to the ground, rubbing his wrists where Katsuya had grabbed him. "Ung!"
"Owww," the first muttered, rolling over onto his back. "Aughh..."
"Yea... An' there's more if y' plan on standin' up," Katsuya shouted with a grin, moving back to the others and shaking his head. Well that went quick enough... He turned momentarily as sirens sounded in the distance, before moving back to Bakura and biting his lip. "Hey... Hang in there alrigh'," he muttered, the albino nodding weakly as his friend again put pressure on the wound across his arm. Lots of blood... Lots and lots of blood... The four remained largely silent until the ambulance came after that, answering what questions were needed as Bakura was taken away... Names, what happened (which no one knew)... Relatives, contact... The foreign kid, who when asked by the Paramedics for a name had said 'Namu', was now just rubbing his cheek, staring at the ground as the others turned to him.
"So... 'Namu'," Anzu asked as the ambulance drove off, the teen nodding somewhat hesitantly as she bit her lip. "Right," she said quietly, nodding somewhat as her friend gave a narrowed stare toward the small 'flame' sitting on the teen's shoulder. "Listen... I'm sorry you had to deal with all this, I mean..."
"No, it's fine," Namu said with a nod, wringing his hands somewhat as he coughed. The 'spirit' on his shoulder also 'nodded', a single eye staring forward as Katsuya held back a growl. Definitely fine... He seemed fine, looked fine... That punch barely left a mark on him, and...
There was a lot here that was not fi- The blond blinked, looking at the teen's arm as he attempted to hide his frown. "Eh... Yer a duelist," he asked, watching as 'Namu' nodded and held his arm up.
"Yes! But... I'm not very good," he said with a cough, lowering his arm again as he laughed. "So please, don't ask me to duel you, ahahaha..."
Sheesh, worse than Bakura! ...And yet something seemed so damn off about this guy..! Even so he pushed that back for the sake of conversation, forcing a grin on his face. "Heh! Sorry t' tell yah this," he bragged, "But I already qualified for th' finals!"
"Ah, really," Namu asked, blinking as the spirit on its shoulder stared. Ehhhh that thing was creeping him out... "You must be really strong then..." He adjusted the backpack he was wearing on his shoulder, laughing as he attempted to continue with the conversation. "Anyways... It's nice to meet you," he said with a smile, bowing his head. "I'm not actually from here... I've been having a lot of trouble with the language too, so..."
"Well you're doing very well," Anzu assured the teen, smiling as she ignored the accent. "I'm Anzu," she continued, bowing somewhat before gesturing to the blond beside her. "And this is Jonouchi..." Katsuya nodded at that, smile somewhat forced as he held eye contact with the 'spirit'. Damn it, why wasn't this feeling leaving..!
And why was this thing still staring! "Thank you," Namu was saying as the blond stared, "But I'm really not that good... You two seem like good people though," he added, pulling Katsuya from his 'zone' as the blond jumped. "Maybe we could become friends..." ...Nooooo... He wasn't sure why, but he didn't think that would be a good ide-
"Well I don't see a problem with that..." Ahhhh, he should have said something... "Come on," Anzu said with a smile, looking back at Katsuya for a moment. "We were about to find out where the finals for the tournament are!" Yes... Yes they were...
"Y-Yea... Act'lly," he said nervously as he rubbed his neck, "It's only five so..." The others turned, watching as the blond coughed and pointed off in the direction of the hospital. "I was thinkin' we could go check on Bakura... Make sure he's alrigh'," he trailed off, shrugging. And maybe ask a certain 'other' Bakura about what the hell was going on... Because much as he didn't want to think about that guy, this was just too weird...
"I'm sure he's fine," Namu 'insisted' rather quickly, shaking his head as the three moved down the road. "Hey, actually... Let's go this way," he decided, running ahead and taking a sharp turn to the right, "Alright?"
"That way," Anzu asked somewhat incredulously, turning into the alley and picking up speed as Katsuya frowned.
Bad feeling, bad feeling, bad feeling..! He grit his teeth, looking around uneasily as Namu nodded ahead of then. "Yea," he was saying, "It's a short cut to my hotel... I want to drop off my bag quickly and-"
Bad feeling! "Ngh!" Katsuya tensed, grabbed from behind by a cloaked figure many times larger than himself. Attempting to move his arms was futile as he struggled, Anzu giving a shout as she turned before being grabbed as well. "Ngggh..!" Hell no... He wasn't going down without a- "Nnn..." Fight... The blond's eyes fluttered shut, vision blurring as his movements grew sluggish. Shit...
Chloro... Chlorof...
The last thing he could see before passing out was Anzu struggling against the grip of another cloaked figure... And flames... Wrapping around Namu almost protectively as his expression was hidden from view. And in the flames...
An eye... With teeth...
No...
...
AN: Not Jonouchi too! It was actually hard to get this ending; since I go by the manga, I ended up writing the fight scene that came about because of Bakura... A scene which was cut from the anime and replaced with a brawl against rare hunters; a brawl that Jonouchi quickly lost instead of quickly winning. Whoops.
At the same time though, this makes more sense; you'd think people would notice when a few teens get attacked by men in cloaks and then get dragged off...
This chapter's a little longer than the norm for the same reason the last one is 'shorter'; we're going back to Kaiba and Yugi after this, and the ending of this chapter would really clash with that...
Not that big chapters are bad right? It's another SUUUUP-ER chapter! Da-dadaaaaa...
Er... Please let me know if that bugs you though.
In other news, the poll results are still unchanged. So... Yea.
Back to everything else then..!
Anonymous Review Responses
Oh no, EVERYONE! I don't think anyone gets a break Iona… And heck, at least Mokuba's second kidnapping was both justified and made up for with awesome dragon-hijacking insanity!
Yeaaa… There's not much about Kaiba that can be taken as surprising… As for the reaction to Jou VS Yugi…
Two chapters Iona. At maximum; I say two only because one, I know Malik is going to be talking (AGAIN!), and two, it's a tag-team match; so it'll take a bit, which means we're likely dealing with another two-part duel.
Particularly since Yugi and Kaiba, despite their personalities, are both really freaking hammy when it comes to duel. (ENEMY CONTROLLER comes to mind actually…) In any case, see you then Iona!
Malik is a very, very big gloater Randomprojects.
And as for Kaiba… Yes. Yeeeeesss, that's it… Personally, I don't think Yugi's buying it either, hehehehe.
And HAH! Too bad for you, you'll have to wait for the past things… For at least a few chapters! Mostly because Jonouchi kinda needs to sleep first. (The sleeping comes before most of the duelling after all.)
Oh well… Patience is good, it's great you have it! Enjoy the upcoming chapters until then, alright?
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that wants to know if anyone will take its fish; chicken is better!
Today's chapter title is based on the 'central' theme of Kajiki's deck, and what he was trying to nail into Jonouchi's head. The ocean is serious business guys.
Seriously. Take it from a lifeguard.
Jonouchi's right; none of the guys following him are the same guys, unlike in the manga and anime. It's Malik constantly switching hosts for his mind control, moving from body to body; after all, he only needs eyes. Unfortunately, that's setting Jou's 'senses' off like a fire alarm, whereas simply tailing him would just end up with a not so paranoid Jou punching someone's lights out...
Part of the reason he (Malik) is doing this though ties into why, rather than simply getting the guards to take Mokuba, he knocked them all out using the same powers of the Rod.
It's easier for him to 'overload' their heads enough for them to knock themselves out than it is to convince someone who's specifically been hired to protect someone to turn on those instincts within a few minutes... Basically, rather than taking over the guard's minds, he managed to get them mentally stir crazy... And then they knocked themselves out.
Back to the 'mind control deal' though... This is why, despite the large time gap, it'll take a bit for Jonouchi to 'succumb' to the Millennium Rod, at least in the fanfic's case. The Rod needs to dig right in there and find a tiny, tiny sliver of annoyance to get its hold. Otherwise, it's kind of like herding cats.
Possible. But a real pain in the ass to do, as Malik himself will find very soon. (In his words though, very much 'worth it'. Creep.)
Originally, everyone was quite sure that Yugi was fine, and it was Bakura who 'spaced out'. (Also, we are reminded that Jou has four locator cards. EXPOSITION!) In this case though, there's a bit more worry, as the storms and the combined moods of Jonouchi and Bakura are dragging down Anzu's endless cheer to a slight extent, ahehehe.
Oh no, they left Bakura behind! And as a matter of fact, this does mean that Bakura was 'Yami Bakura' the entire time, 'this' being Jonouchi not noticing a switch; he's keeping an eye on Jonouchi, mostly because of the museum incident… And a good thing he was too; Jou would have known it was 'Yami Bakura' the moment he switched out with his lighter half to check the ring, which was the main reason for the switch in the first place... And that 'sense' words within at least twenty, twenty-five feet!
As to what they missed; Bakura hunted down Malik, finding him because of that hand 'millennium compass' type deal the ring has. They then made a deal; since Malik only wants Yugi dead, he's willing to give him the Millennium Rod and God cards after the fact... At least he says he is.
In any case, Bakura then comes up with a plan to get Malik in their good graces, pulling out a knife and injuring himself before giving his lighter self control again... Malik then drags him off on the motorcycle, stops a little bit outside the aquarium, and the rest plays itself out.
Poor Bakura...
Kajiki wears very little compared to everyone else in this series it would appear; short swim shorts, a headband, and a 'happi', a sleeveless, kimono-like jacket that you'll often see men wearing around at festivals. There's something written on Kajiki's actually; from what I can tell it's his name, Ryouta (which I normally spell as 'Ryota'); the 'Ryou' in his name means 'Fishing', or 'Catch' whereas the 'Ta' comes from a similar kanji to dai (big), and is the kanji for 'plump', or 'thick'; Ryota's name literally means 'big catch'... A fitting name for the son of a fisherman and a fisherman in general... Not to mention, a fitting thing to put on his happi coat!
In any case, you probably notice that I never refer to Kajiki as a teen; that's because his 'bio' said he was 19… But his birthday is March 1st. Since the Battle City tournament is actually at a later date in the fanfic than it was in the manga (Yugi and Jonouchi were still wearing their school uniforms for the event, as Jonouchi was knocked out on the end of what had been a school day, while Yugi is… Yugi.), his birthday has come and gone; Kajiki is already 20.
In the manga, Kajiki says something about the whale being in a 'fish tank' before mentioning a grill. While Jonouchi comments on the grill, Anzu asks about the fish tank; despite the fact that the whale is technically in a tank! Also, Kajiki later proves he knows damn well what a whale is, so... Huh?
And now a note on the Ryukyuan Accent, or the Okinawan accent! Or rather, dialect. There's another language that originates from Okinawa that's preserved by the elders of those islands, but a fair number of phrases slipped into the Japanese they use... 'Hai sai' for example is a universal greeting over there. Besides a number of words, certain phrases are shortened from the original Japanese as well... I didn't translate that last part over, but the use of the word 'prawn' rather than 'shrimp' somewhat hints at the word-switching. And as another point, a few other words in the vocabulary are English, and I mean words that ordinarily wouldn't be English in the rest of Japan! It'd be kind of like meeting with an Australian from what I can gather really...
And the fact is, the Ryukyu island string is very, very tropical and south-bound compared to the rest of Japan...
Originally, Kaijiki is the one to offer up the ante for locator cards; in this case however, it's all Jonouchi for the first half of the challenge (As they obviously aren't both tied in this case now), and Kajiki for the latter. (Partially because those two monsters scare the ever loving shit out of Jonouchi, and they haven't had the chance to 'meet' him yet.)
That's right guys; in the manga and anime, Jou forgot he still had Parasite Paracide; he ended up using it as a defines monster on his first turn… Second turn in the case of the manga. It's not important to the plot (besides the fact that Kajiki asks if Jonouchi 'likes those sorts of monsters') though, and the fact is, after the hand issue, there was no way in hell that Jonouchi would forget that the card was there.
A note on how poor Jou can take all this damage; though he gets to feel everything, the damage from a duel repairs much faster than a normal injury. It develops much quicker too; that's why Jonouchi's bruise from Exodia was so fully 'blossomed' by the morning.
It's important to note however that the duels are things that really don't like leaving things unfinished; though the powers involved can't completely prevent a 'forfeiture', they'll repair most of the damage from an injury if he has the life-points to do it.
In other words, Exodia's bruise is the only one that's really still there; most of the others healed up within an hour due to Jonouchi winning those matches. It's just that the injury from Exodia hurts like hell, and he's grouping it with all the other ones.
Of course, you'll see later on how far this 'forfeiture prevention' can stretch...
For some reason in the anime and manga both, the waters from Umi are only knee-height. So… How are there monsters the size of people in there!
Again, exposition lines have either been removed or changed; the latter meaning that Sugoroku and Anzu's lines are now altered for Jonouchi and the Alligator Sword to get the message across.
Speaking of the Alligator Sword, his Chinese accent is based on the fact that there are only two extant species of alligator in the world. This is the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. I opted to go with Chinese in this case.
Why did we skip one of Kajiki's turns? Because fusion monsters can't attack on their first turn. This rule seems to be avoided when its convenient and enforced when it's... Convenient.
Yea don't ask me how the holographic whale was hiding in a separate tank of water… It's… Weird. In the case of the fanfic though, this is partially because of Kajiki's closeness to that monster (As in, close enough that the spirit legitimately sees himself as Kajiki's 'dad' to a certain extent.) gives him free reign over where he sits on the field; outside of Gods, this happens for many duelist's favourite monsters in the fanfic... They're still on the field, and within 'range', but their closeness means they aren't nessecarily restricted to the front lines.
Of course, in the case of things like Fortress Whale and the Gods, they're just too big.
A LOT of the latter half of the duel was changed in terms of dialogue and even move order, because not only does it just screw with the rules of the game, it also acts as though everything on the field is real anyways. Which is something that was altered to match 'anime levels', including holograms being cut in two to reveal nothing but weird light inside.
Hell, Kajiki originally ordered the whale to do that spin after Panther Warrior somehow didn't self-destruct, which threw the cat off… And then he was all 'Your Panther probably has internal injuries, blah blah blah!'
What.
So yea… 'Fixed' that, mostly because I like rules to be at least somewhat consistent. At least I had an excuse on Pegasus' island.
And in other news, while Jaguars don't really have an issue with water being kinda like tigers in that respect, Leopards… They're not really water-guys. They're tree-guys. And panthers are black versions of either Jaguars or Leopards really, soooo…
There you go! The Panther Warrior is technically a leopard! (In fact, if you look at 'Lady Panther', she's a leopard too; and a normal one at that, she's golden yellow with spots.)
Jonouchi's referencing a very cool way to cook hotdogs... You stick a pair of wires to a metal object (say a nail), and ram both in each end of the hotdog. These wires come from a plug; basically you've taken your lamp cord, cut it from the lamp, and split up the wires. Plug that thing in the wall, and your hotdog is fried! From the inside out, with no burns or anything...
And if you do it with a pickle, it lights up. How cool is that?
Er... Warning! You plug it in with ONE HAND, and as with anything concerning exposed wires, this is VERY DANGEROUS. Unless you're a responsible adult who legitimately knows what you're doing, DON'T DO IT.
I'm not responsible for what happens if you do.
Kajiki's re-summoning of the Legendary Fisherman is quite moving; he initially has thoughts that we naturally see, saying 'your worst fears have come true Jonouchi! I brought my Greatest Monster back to life!'
Cue Legendary Fisherman, the card that represents his dad. And when you think about it, if Umi hadn't been destroyed, he really would have been a threat; those stealth attacks were nasty!
Obviously, besides Kaiba's cars, emergency vehicles get the go-ahead too. Otherwise things would go to shit, really really quick.
Hey, want to know something about 'Namu'? It's the Buddhist equivalent of 'hail', 'glory', 'amen'…
So why the hell did Malik pick that?
Well, he was probably aiming more at 'name'; which roughly ends up pronounced as 'namae' in Japanese… But would probably end up something else in Malik's own accent, which, by the way, he's playing up; no one suspects the guy who barely knows the language! (Save the paranoid one.)
FanArt and My Art Section
Paste the link, remove the spaces, and hit go!
Only one today though; just another doodle sheet...
Doodles/Concept- Hair, Noa, and Dragon... Things – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ Doodles. jpg - Largely just sketching (as you can see by my two random hairstyle sketches there), there's actually some concept here. Noa for one is here, along with some fun with dragons... And... Mutating things... As to what's happening in the fanfic and what's not, you'll have to be in the dark for now... (Though tell me which hairstyle you like more, ah?)
And with that, I'm turning in to work on the next chapter! Enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you next time with Yugi and Kaiba VS the Mask's of Light and Darkness... Or as the Dub called them, 'Lumis' and 'Umbra'.