Into the River
The path they had been taking for the last hour or so was long and rugged, with bushes and stones littering the way. There were patches of snow lining the sides, and above them the great pines of the forest towered like skyscrapers, blocking out a majority of the sun to give the area a more secluded feel. As with most forests, this one was inhabited, though not by the expected boars and squirrels of the country. Instead she and her brother had found themselves fighting duel monsters, rushing down the trail and occasionally blasting back whatever wave attacked from the trees. Despite the implied and illusionary sense of time that passed, and the heightened strength that allowed them to barrel through what kuriboh and watapon appeared however, she could not help but think back to a time before all of this.
A time in a place not at all unlike this one. Mokuba had asked her if they'd been here before of course, shortly after they'd fallen for the second time, from the 'darkness' they'd landed in. The first time after all there had been nothing to ask about, nothing to question. As they'd fallen from the virtual room she'd held him close for protection, eyes filled with rage for their captors. As she muttered curses in the back of her mind though they'd found themselves landing in mid-air, glowing and almost 'formless' in appearance, just as they had been during the start of the Virtual Reality game they played half a year ago. There had been screens before them once they righted themselves in the darkness... Screens depicting things they hadn't seen for a long time... On Mokuba's there was an impressive series of stats, combined with an image of himself in the same blue coloured ninja-garb he'd worn before. On hers a similar image, albeit instead with her own (unfortunately) red armor.
It was after touching 'start' that they found themselves here in those very clothes however, and while she'd told her brother that it was 'nothing' when he'd asked where they were, and that they needed to press on to find an 'escape', the memories refused to leave her thoughts. It was probably 'Noa's fault she told herself, venting her anger on the nearest weakling of a monster by means of a completely overkill 'FIRE' spell from her sword. The mountain they were on, the one she could remember hiking up during those few summers, skiing on even, before that happened...
Something she wanted to forget. Something that, though already a mere fragment in the back of her mind, carried with it a feeling of nausea and dread. Something bad had happened, and it tied to this memory... But how... How-
"How many of these things are there," her brother shouted from behind, the pair momentarily spinning back-to-back to be rid of the pests swarming them. In spirals of blood and fur both the attacking watapon were dispersed, Mokuba gritting his teeth as a horde of more yellow furred cotton puffs appeared in their place. "They just keep coming!"
Yet another wave of monsters were destroyed, blood staining the snow and sword as Seto spun the blade through still another kuriboh. Tch... This wasn't doing anything..! "We'll just have to burn through them all at once," she snarled, teeth grinding before the screen at her face's side appeared. Throughout the trek up the mountain both siblings had caught sight of this screen; level ups, stat bonuses... Thankfully there were no 'inventory' dealings, which proved that this would take a shorter amount of time than it could. ...Hopefully. A small window opened at the screen, the woman raising her eyebrows as a dark look came over her face. Ahaaaa... Now this would work. "Get down Mokuba," she shouted as she ran through the commands on screen in her mind, the boy doing just that. The monsters around them appeared to converge just ahead of them, gathering into a swarm of white and brown as she took in a deep breath. In... And... Go! "AERO!" The wind escaped her lips with enough force to cut down the nearest row of trees as she cast the newly received spell, her brother staring in wide eyed horror as the monsters before them were cut into pixelated light, blood, and bone. The beasts were killed so quickly that there wasn't time to render the damage after all, and as the woman wiped her mouth she slowly helped her brother from the ground. "Hn... That should keep them away for a bit," she muttered, her tone somewhat lighter than normal after the wind-based attack.
The boy merely nodded somewhat nervously, blinking a few times as he looked down the path. Eyes could be seen in the distance, past all the trees... Nothing was approaching just yet, but they were there. "Yea... A bit," Mokuba muttered as he caught sight of the beasts, slowly shaking his head before turning back to his sister. "Nee-sama," he asked, the siblings standing in place for the moment as they caught their breath. "How are we going to get out of here anyways? It feels like its been hours..." Yes... It did feel like a long time, particularly given the ground they'd covered on the mountain. But if Noa knew as much as he did, that was all fake... It had probably been only as much as ten minutes really, providing plenty of time for whatever plan the boy had in store for them. Even so, Seto found her gaze refusing to soften in regards to the slight relief of pressing time, momentarily closing her eyes as a memory persistently flashed.
'Come on,' he was shouting, pulling her forward with a grin. 'Mutti's going to be busy with your father for at least the day,' he continued as he laughed, Seto rubbing her head as the memory pushed in her mind. 'We have all the time in the world, lets have some fun for once!' Damn it... Get out, get OUT! "Ghhh..." Get OUT!
"Nee-sama," Mokuba asked hesitantly, tapping his sister's arm. "...Are you alright..?"
Seto steeled herself, shaking her head and looking down as the memory faded. She knew that voice somehow; more importantly, that voice had belonged to someone close... But she didn't want to know who, and in all honesty, she shouldn't care. "I'm fine," she muttered, gaze softening somewhat as her brother stared. "I'm fine... I'm ust thinking about how to get out," the woman continued, taking a few steps forward as she looked toward the distant trail. "The closest thing I can think of likely applies only to the game I'm working on at home though," she growled under her breath, crossing her arms somewhat while keeping a firm grip on her sword. That game... After the 'Legendary Heroes' fiasco, she'd been sorely tempted to scrap the VR project altogether. But the prospect of expanding to something that didn't rely on I2's card industry was too much to pass up, particularly with the possibilities in the software.
Provided she get rid of all the possibilities of fatality. And comas. And so on, so on... "I programmed a specific way to locate an 'exit' after that fiasco in the game," Seto explained as the game's hardware came through her mind, "A 'door'," she added. The pair walked forward somewhat before turning to look back down the mountain, the woman continuing with a slight frown. "...Just a normal door," she repeated almost distantly. They'd almost made it to the peak... Looking back now there was no sign of all the battles they'd participated in, of the monsters they'd encountered. How interesting... Everything here was an illusion, but while she knew this, it was all too easy to forget what was real... Reminding her of the Big-5's own chilling words before Mokuba's voice pulled her from the slowly drifting memories.
"...A door," he asked somewhat plainly. "You mean like that?" The woman turned back at this, eyes widening just briefly as they stared at the oaken door before them. As she had said... An 'ordinary' door...
Just... An ordinary door, with a turn handle, no markings... "Exactly like that," she muttered, narrowing her eyes as she approached the structure to peer around it. There was nothing to be seen on its opposite side, nothing but the other side of the door as it stood on the mountain. "Hn! How convenient," the woman muttered almost bitterly, "I start talking about exits and one appears right before us." It was so obvious a trap she could puke.
And yet there was apparently more to it than that. "I merely assumed it would be the preferable option, as opposed to the others," a somewhat monotone voice stated, the siblings turning with a jolt.
"Gh- Enemy," Mokuba shouted, only to be held back by his sister. The boy swallowed, looking upward as the one before them stared. "I- ...N-Nee-sama?"
Seto didn't answer, instead stepping toward the girl that stood before them with wide eyes. White hair and skin, along with blue eyes, garbed in a skirted version of Noa's own clothing... The girl was likely younger than Noa and Mokuba both, resembling a ten-year old at the oldest with the facial expression of a possibly depressed adult. But that wasn't what caught her attention, despite the oddities of everything else. A tail and wings, small fin-like ears... The white scales of these limbs shimmered in the fake sunlight, creating a slight and subtle sparkle that danced with the trees that blew in the wind. "This..." Pieces of Blue-Eyes, tacked onto a girl she had only seen in a nightmarish hallucination, did Noa have any gall at all-!
"Noa-sama did not intend for me to take this form," the girl stated, her observers raising their eyebrows. The girl fell silent just as quickly as she'd spoken up, expression unchanging and undaunted in the face of the two she addressed.
This courage however, was passed off as a 'computer' related detail, and served to only further incense the taller of the pair. "I never said anything," Seto growled, narrowing her eyes as she looked the girl over. This girl... "Who are you anyways," she asked, the child before them holding her arms firmly behind her back as she looked up.
"I am a program," the girl stated flatly. "I am called 'KISARA', after that which was present in the memories which formed my body." Memories? Seto's eyes narrowed somewhat in confusion, the woman listening as the 'program' continued on. "I was created by Noa-sama to guide you to your proper path," 'Kisara' explained, the siblings merely staring in suspicion. "More specifically, I am to create proper paths should you stray off the first." Hang on...
She was supposed to guide them? "Like I'm believing that for even a moment," she hissed, narrowing her eyes as the girl turned somewhat to stare. Kisara... She'd heard that name, in that bizarre hallucination on the deck field, seen her face. Seen the white hair, the pale skin, the blue eyes... She'd seen all of it, in that feverish day-dream that defied all logic and all imagination at the same time. It couldn't be real... Yet it couldn't not be real her mind told her, the resulting conflict sending waves of pain through her mind. And now standing before her was something supposedly formed from those 'dreams', something that for some reason she found herself wanting to trust despite better judgement.
She was beginning to hate that side of her. A lot, to say the least. Mokuba slowly stepped off to the side, looking from the door to Kisara before speaking. "You... You said you made that door appear," he asked, pointing toward it as the girl stared.
Kisara briefly looked over Seto in her continually blank stare, before curtly nodding and answering the question. "Correct," she told them, eyes honing in on the door. "I was given the order to guide you toward the proper path of 'memory', that you might find your opponent quickly. As per Noa-sama's request, it will be two-on-one," she continued to explain, "Forming a slight balance in powers." Hn! Slight indeed, they would win by a landslide... And when she got out, she was getting rid of every trace of this idiotic 'VR program'. As Seto turned however the girl went on, tail twitching somewhat as she spoke. "I must warn you," she stated clearly, "Before we find this match location, you must first pass your challenge. You will not get there simply by moving door to door. You much also finish the challenge."
"Challenge," Seto repeated incredulously, gripping her sword tightly as she turned back on the child. "As I recall," she spat, "We were told that we would be dueling and nothing else!"
"Indeed; you were told there would be duels to discern your fate," the girl announced, blinking slowly as she stared forward. "However," she continued, "Noa-sama has never said what would occur prior those events. Until you have traveled your 'mind' as long as requested from him," Kisara explained, "You will be unable to meet with your opponent." Wh- They wouldn't even... Well wasn't that typical... "It is your choice of course," the strange 'dragon-girl' told them, eyes flashing for a moment as Seto ground her teeth in rage, "But it would be preferable that you heed by these words." Preferred preferred preferred...
Just say they had no choice already damn it! "Hnp! And I suppose that door will take us to that 'path' and challenge," she growled, pointing back toward the door. "Leading to whatever else your 'master' has in store?
Kisara nodded, bowing her head somewhat as she closed her eyes. "It will. Provided you follow that path, moving from door to door," she added in explanation, "You will complete your quest."
"Is that true," Mokuba asked hesitantly. "It's not a trap," he pressed, Seto merely narrowing her eyes at what was considered a 'stupid question'.
"Of course not," the girl answered, again staring blankly forward. "Noa-sama has great plans for both of you; there are eight people here after all. It would be foolish to assume that he intends to decide on the 'survivors' at random. There will be a process after all." Hang on... What..?
"Then why make sure that we come," Seto growled, eyes somewhat wide as she slowly took a fighting crouch. "If he doesn't plan on attacking us, then why involve us in the first place?"
The girl merely continued to stare, eyes unblinking in response to the growing threat. "I never stated that you would both be survivors," Kisara told them, tilting her head. "While it will not be random, it will certainly not be decided just yet, when so many have yet to pass through their challenges. Noa-sama has plans; that is all I am able to reveal. In order to discover these plans," she continued, holding a hand out to the door, "You must complete your journey."
Journey... Seto turned to leer at the door, pulling a face in response as it seemed to give off the air of suspicion and dread. This or nothing. There was no choice then... She detested that fact, but there was no choice. "Fine... Mokuba," she said almost quietly, the boy running behind her as she grabbed the door and pushed it inward. "Let's go."
"Ah... Right!"
The trail he'd woken up on was a familiar one, at least it was to him. It was laden with flattened and somewhat damp ground, lined with grasses and stones as the sounds of a waterfall echoed slightly to the distance. Above him, trees at varying heights had grown, somewhat blanketing the sky above in green as he traveled. He'd been walking only a short while through that forest it seemed; it was as though he'd lost all sense of time, and despite the urgency of the situation he couldn't help feel calm and at peace with the area. Perhaps it was his other self's presence that helped though... Even without the puzzle after all, he was still there, ever present and ever cautiously curious in the back of his mind.
"Where is this exactly," he asked, only barely able to see through his hosts's eyes. It was strange, being unable to see his other half again, but he supposed it made sense. How could a ghost project themselves into a videogame after all he asked himself. He hadn't been able to last time... It would be foolish to expect him to now.
These thoughts however would have to wait, and with that in mind he pressed forward. "This place... They're the trails of Shomyo river, on Mount Tate," the boy responded, looking around as he held his three-bladed 'boomerang' at the ready. "I came here a long time ago," he continued somewhat nostalgicly, "Back when my father was home more often... Before he was promoted," Yugi went on, "And my mother and I had to move in with Grandpa. We'd come here to see the falls," he continued, eyes slightly distant as he walked quietly. "The twin falls of the Migadahara plataeu... 'Hannoki' and 'Shomyo'."
His other paused for a moment, as though nodding in understanding. "...I see," the spirit muttered after a moment. "...It sounds like those were happy memories," he finally said after a few more pauses, sounding almost depressed about the fact from where his mind resided.
"They were," he said somewhat plainly. The boy smiled somewhat as the memory became clearer, before briefly closing his eyes in thought. "But you know... I'm not upset about what happened," Yugi told his other, walking onward through the path as quiet birds chirped in the distance. "If none of that happened," he continued as the smile grew, "I'd have never found this puzzle... And even with all that happened as a result," he stated plainly, "I'll always be glad that I met you, 'Other Me'."
The spirit seemed to be rather caught off guard by the statement, a wave of what was probably nervousness rushing out abruptly. "..N...Nn... Of course..." Hahaha...
He still didn't feel better. Yugi smiled somewhat sadly, pausing in his trek to stare at the sky. He didn't tend to drop things like that easily... His 'other' was strong yes, but he was easilly guilted when it came to himself, and his friends. They both had their sore points really... And in this case, they probably shared. "...Where are we 'really'," he found himself asking after a few more moments in silence, expression falling somewhat more into depression as the subject was changed. The last thing he remembered, after the gas knocked them out, was shouting at the Big five... They'd taken Anzu after Jonouchi, followed by Shizuka, Honda, Otogi, each calling out each other's name, each ignoring the first 'slip' Kaiba herself had made earlier on... And when they'd all fallen she'd seen no use in hiding her voice any more, simply turning on the looming shadows in rage. 'You SCUM,' Kaiba had roared, voice sounding oddly more powerful in its natural form than its disguised tones. 'You pathetic SCUM!' Mokuba had run toward the woman at that... He'd realized they were likely next, and didn't want to be separated. But as he ran the hole opened below the pair, the boy falling forward with a panicked shout. 'N-Nee-sama!' 'Gh- No!'
And they were gone... But more importantly...
He was alone. 'What do you want with us,' he'd asked them in his final moments, watching as shadows danced and cackled before him. 'What do you want?'
'We already told you that,' they'd sneered, the boy's eyes widening in response. And then he'd fallen... Fallen into a dark realm, with nothing but a screen to show for it. A screen identical to that of the 'stat window' from the Virtual game they'd played in before, with the black leather gauntlets and oil-stained shirt staring back. And after touching that screen, falling through the darkness with a shout... He'd appeared here on the grounds of Mount Tate, within his own fond memories. Yugi found himself narrowing his eyes in thought as he recounted all of this briefly, the boy only loosely holding his weapon now. Where... Where could they be, 'really' he wondered before finally speaking. Where... "...Other me," he called out, the spirit's presence already accounted for at the back of his mind. "Do you think... Do you think you could try seeing where our body is," he asked, lowering his head to stare forward
"Our body," the ghost repeated, likely crossing his arms at the moment in his confusion.
"Yea; we've managed to extend the distance by a lot haven't we," he added, a small smile on his face. "I mean... There's Kaiba-san's airship for one," the boy began, quite vividly recalling the sudden vertigo he'd felt as a result of his 'other' opting to attempt the 'air-ship loop' regardless of warning. "And there's also a few of the skyscrapers along our bus route..." In fact, they'd been utilizing the latter quite a lot since then; being able to scout for the bus was a useful trait, and meant that he'd been able to get more things done while they switched back and forth to check. They could probably visit Jonouchi at separate times as a result even; though given all that was going on, it would probably be best to hold that back. Besides; what was important now was this. "I suppose what I'm trying to say... Is that if we can manage that," he stated with a swallow, "Then maybe..."
"Hnn..." The other Yugi seemed to frown with consideration, before slowly nodding. "Well, in theory we wouldn't need to get too far from our body so... ...I suppose I'll try," he decided, presence fading from the back of his mind a moment. "I'll be right back." Phew... Okay then.
'Trying' was really all he could ask for after all, so really, that was perfectly fine by him. Yugi began to walk yet again, passing a few trees as he waited for his response. There wasn't much else to see on the trail... The sound of the falls was growing louder, and with a sudden jolt there was again another self in the back of his mind. "Ah-! That was quick," he announced alarmingly, blinking his confusion off as his other self 'nodded'. "How come..."
"That... Well, while we have admittedly improved our 'extension'," the spirit admitted, "It would seem it doesn't help here. Unfortunately you see, I was only able to make it an inch from the body; and I don't mean by sitting out of it either," he continued with a frown. "I literally mean 'an inch', if not an actual 'centimetre'; I was effectively a mirror of our body," the boy explained, arms crossed in annoyance, "And even then, I was only there a few moments before becoming locked within the confines of my soul-room."
Locked- "You were locked in," he repeated, eyes wide. Within his own soul? But why would that...
"That's right," his other responded, shaking his head. "I did catch a glimpse of the real world of course, but I doubt it's useful," he continued with a sigh. "All I could see were the insides of the last VR pod we were in, and through the glass, a metal ceiling... Nothing to identify the location at all," the boy muttered, quite clearly upset about not proving more useful after all the practice they had done.
"Hnn... At least we know we're in the Virtual World," he muttered, shaking his head as the pair continued on. "With how real all of this is," the boy continued with a sigh, "It's easy to forget... Or at least not realize that this isn't 'magic' of some sort, like Dark Bakura's game board..."
The other Yugi again seemed to nod, frowning as he skipped over the latter topic. "Yes... Well, with science and magic as advanced as they are now," he explained somewhat wisely, "It's a little difficult to decide which has a tighter hold on reality now..." That was true... Magic was a 'hidden' art now, feared and considered myth. But while science and technology had their pluses, the majority of their 'adventures' hinged on it anyways. "...Still... The question is," the other Yugi muttered, "Is how did Noa obtain these pods..?"
Ah- Yugi blinked, frowning somewhat. That was a good question. Kaiba had looked as though she planned to destroy all the devices piece by piece before she kept them, but for the moment he wasn't sure that was the answer. Instead, as he turned the corner to change the subject, he found himself freezing and staring with wide eyes. "Ah... The river..."
His other was well stared, taking advantage of their somewhat shared sensations in confusion. "...I wasn't aware Japan had such large rivers," the spirit of the puzzle commented, Yugi merely blinking slowly as he pieced together an answer.
"I... We don't," he responded, stepping toward the side of the bank. The river they stood before was enormous in size, the falls that it created roaring with enough force to rival niagara. It was more than evident that these falls were neither Hannoki or Shomyo but..."It must have been enlarged by the game..." Increased in size by Noa's hands, length, depth, power... "But why," he found himself asking, traveling along the sides with a frown. "I mean... Even the trails are different, I shouldn't be able to get this close..."
"Not to mention that," his other stated as they turned, looking down the river with near identical frowns. ...Yes... Yes, there was 'that' too he told himself, swallowing as he came to the edge of the falls. Standing about ten feet from him, and another five from the falls edge themselves after all, were a series of ropes. The ropes each streamed to the middle point between himself and the falls to embed themselves in the ground and river both, each one pulled taught and strung with an alarming amount of protective seals. At the center of these ropes, each one about as thick as two of his fingers held together in the meantime, was an enormous spear, greenish in hue and bladed on both ends. "...Just what is that," his other asked, Yugi stepping forward to look at the ropes and weapon with a frown.
"I looks almost like a 'sealed object'," he stated after a moment, "Like in video games and myths... Normally I would say it's better to avoid them," he added, pulling one of the ropes somewhat close before releasing it with a twang, "But in games, often the stupidest idea is the only right way forward..."
"Even if it involves unleashing great evil then," the 'Other' questioned, Yugi looking back at the spear.
"Pretty much," he said with a laugh, scratching his head. "I guess that without chaos, there isn't much of an adventure. In any case..." The boy pulled at the rope, before raising the boomerang up in his hands and tearing it through the string swiftly. The rope fell limp into the water with ease, and though an odd breeze passed by them about that moment, it seemed as though the tear had effected nothing. Yugi looked around in silence for a few moments in case there was more, eventually squashing back the unease and continuing on. "We mind as well cut these ropes down," he decided, moving onto the next one before habitually turning 'back' to where he'd come from. "After all," the boy began, "We-"
"Erm... Aibou," his other asked, giving a slight cough. "Didn't you cut that one..?"
The boy blinked, looking back at the rope he'd cut just previously only to jump. It had seemingly repaired, fibers rewinding into the charmed rope he'd seen before and each thread appearing as dry as it had been to start. "It... It repaired," he shouted in alarm, stepping back from the shore somewhat as he stared.
"And not just that one either," the spirit muttered, Yugi looking back at the second one he'd just recently cut. It too had woven itself back into place, leaving the sealed spear as intact as he found it and pulsing just as dangerously. "It looks as though we'll have to cut it down all at once," he continued, looking to the spear in suspicion. Hnnn...
It seemed so... Yugi nodded, stepping back somewhat as he unfolded his boomerang with a swallow. "Well... This should work then," he decided, pulling it back for a throw. "I just hope this doesn't end too badly," he shouted. "Here goes... Other Me, wish me luck!" The blade was tossed forward in an instant, Yugi watching as it tore through and carried with it the first few strings and moved on. He hoped this worked...
"As do I," his other self muttered, both boys staring as the weapon tore along its path. "Just remember that I'll be ready to help when needed," he added, lighter half nodding in response. Five ropes left about the spear, and the boomerang was heading back... Four... Three... Two... "Ghn!"
With the destruction of the last rope the strings seemed to swirl, water converging and rippling beneath the hovering spear in a small torrent of water. An old man's chuckling filled the air, and in a spray of water a green scaled hand tore upward to grab at the weapon in a tight grip. The strings attached whirled into one cord, twisting and pulling back on the weapon they held... They each wrapped about the handle of the boomerang and pulled it back to a folded position with a single smooth clack, the monster who'd caught it pulling it back with ease as he arose from the river's water to stand atop it with a smirk. "Heh! And so our battle begins," the monster cackled, bringing the cords to his teeth before ripping through with shark-like ferocity. With one quick toss the boomerang was thrown over the edge of the falls, Yugi swallowing in unease and fear both as he was disarmed. "Hnhnhahaha... As a loyal employee to Kaiba-Corp," the man explained darkly, "I merged with and bought out numerous others, using skill and abilities that none could contest with... I did my duties well, I did them in the name of the company, and I WILL do so once again! Mutou Yugi," he roared over the sound of the falls, the boy swallowing as he realized just how much of a disadvantage he was at now. "I am the one formerly known as Oshita Konosuke... And I will be your opponent!"
Ah... Ahh..! This was one of the Big 5..! "You... But you're a duel monster," he whispered in alarm, staring as the 'Deepsea Warrior' hovered above the river. "Why would you..."
"Hn! 'Observant' of you," Oshita snorted, gripping his spear tightly as he entered a psuedo fighting stance. "This monster you see here is my 'deck master'... As one without a body it has nothing to assimilate with," he explained, "Leaving its skills and its powers as my own. I lost my body," the old man snarled, again revealing shark-like teeth behind the curved black visor he wore. "This is all I have left... But soon enough I'll reduce you to the same state," he spat, "Taking yours as my own to return to the real world... The youth I'll experience again... This 'second life' I'll have," the man continued with a grin. "I think I'll quite like it, even with such a ridiculous appearance," he chuckled, Yugi tensing as the laughter echoed about the arena. Gh- Ridiculous? Just what was it that was so wrong about his hair! "Do you know what's even better though," Oshita announced, twirling the spear in his hands. "Soon enough, four others of your comrades will be host to mine... We'll all be 'young' again," he went on with a laugh, "All of us, all while exacting our vengeance simultaneously! Incredible! HnHaHAHA!" Gh...
"Not good," his other whispered, Yugi swallowing as he stepped back from the river's edge. "We barely know how this game works," he went on darkly, "But if they've split us up like this they'll target the weak duelists first... Especially if this game still compensates for physical ability," he continued, his friend growing pale. Gh...
"Then, Mokuba, Anzu, and Honda... All the others," he continued, narrowing his eyes as the words sank in.
The boy's other self tensed, nodding somewhat as he growled. "We have no choice," he muttered, staring at their opponent through his partner's eyes. "We'll just have to beat this man down and follow whatever path that takes us on until we find them again!"
"Right!" No choice... They had to fight! "I might not like this," he muttered, before taking a somewhat defensive stance from the shore, "But we don't have much choice... Are you ready other me," he asked, pulling up as much of the martial arts from his PE class as he could to his mind while taking the stance.
"I am... Are you sure you wish to do this fight yourself," the spirit added worriedly, his partner nodding almost fiercely.
"Of course; you've duelled enough for today," he continued, subconsciously glancing to the side his partner would ordinarily stand. "Take a rest, alright?"
The spirit seemed to give off a strong feeling of unease at that, nonetheless nodding in response. "...Alright."
As the spirit's presence vanished from his mind Oshita seemed to stare, a grin coming over what little of his face the boy could see. "Well well," the old man sneered, voice contrasting the slim form of the scaled warrior considerably as he spoke. "So it will be the 'Type A' Yugi that I fight then," he asked, his opponent narrowing his eyes with a combined look of slight fear. "Hn! Before we start," the man continued, "You're required to create your deck... You might not use it against smaller monsters," Oshita growled, "But this will be more than a 'fight'! It will be a battle of strategy," he roared, "And one that requires far more than sword play! For you especially, these duels are mandatory!"
"Gh..." The boy continued to tense, gritting his teeth as he looked toward the warrior. "How do you even know about the other me," he shouted, not shifting from his stance as he held a hand out in a weak pose. "'Type A' me... That's what you're referring to isn't it?"
The warrior continued to smirk vilely from across him, chuckling at the question. "Who else could it possibly be," he shouted with a grin, eyes unseen from beneath the visor. "It would be foolish to enter a battle without researching my opponent wouldn't you think? 'Know all and win all', as I like to say! Now," he continued, waving the spear as an enormous and dome-like screen appeared around the boy. Various lights seemed to shimmer about him, filling the boy's vision as Oshita's voice bounced across it. "Choose your cards and deckmaster... And keep in mind that without your weapon," he laughed, "You'll be relying completely on your cards, and nothing else!" Ngh...
Damn it... Yugi swallowed from behind the screen, watching as various cards hovered around him. These cards... Old and new they were all the cards in existence with the exclusion of the Gods. From Kuriboh to the Dark Magician of Chaos, to the more recent 'White Horn Dragon'... He should probably make something similar to his old deck then he told himself, but in addition to that...
Some of these cards were ones he and his other Yugi had been looking at before, at the large department store's card section. Ones they had planned to save for, and add to their deck... Perhaps, he told himself, if they added those... The boy found himself tapping at the cards, each one slowly vanishing from sight to reveal holes in the dome. With each card the hole's grew. They created a stained glass mosaic of sorts, shimmering light reflecting about him. In the end, with a strange 'speckled' cage around him he nodded his head, swallowing back the wave of unease he felt in lieu of beginning the fight. "Alright... I've completed my deck," he shouted, the 'cage' vanishing in response.
"Good," Oshita announced, appearing oddly patient when it came to the time it had taken. "And your deck master..?"
Ahh... The monsters of his deck hovered before him on screens, the boy frowning in response. Right, he told himself, deck masters... They were supposed to 'fuse' with one of the monsters. Well... He knew he had to pick one of course, but he didn't have much time to really decide now. There was Kuriboh, Dark Magician, Baphomet... Watapon, Curse of Dragon... There were so many monsters he told himself, but how was he supposed to know their ability..?
"Perhaps we should go with something familiar," his other whispered, Yugi staring at the cards as his eyes were briefly drawn to the first few he'd spotted. "The Dark Magician maybe?" Maybe... The boy stared at the Magician in question, frowning somewhat. But... For some reason, that one didn't seem right for this match...
Instead... "I choose... Kuriboh," Yugi announced, both his other self and his opponent jumping as the screen vanished. Briefly the form of the monster appeared before him, a loud 'kurii!' squealing through the air before it vanished into light. Around his arms and shins came furred gauntlets and grieves, each tipped with golden claws as the light spread. The boy's hair became more wild, even 'brownish' in appearance, almost similar to his other's own as his eyes as well gained an odd sheen to them. The vest became furred, nails sharpened, goggles appeared over his brow... Pupils even became slit, his vision seeming to increase in ability as he looked forward...
Despite this however he couldn't help but feel somewhat weaker, the boy unconsciously rubbing at his shoulder as his opponent stared. "Ku... Kuriboh," Oshita shouted incredulously, before bursting into laughter. "HAHAHAHA! AHAAAA! Well now," the man howled loudly, "It looks like this battle will be easier than I thought! It's true that 'the weapon is only as good as the wielder'," he continued with a laugh, "But even those rules have limits! I don't even need to use this spear to defeat you," the man snarled, grin growing with ferocity as he gestured toward it. "I'll simply summon an army and watch as you destroy yourself!" What? Destroy himself? Yugi frowned, before swallowing as his opponent continued on with a sneer. "Of course... You'd have to reach me first to lay any form of damage," he was saying with a grin, both of the Yugis narrowing their eyes with the knowledge. "And with your weapon gone, that will prove difficult, won't it..?" Gh..! So then getting rid of the boomerang had been part of some sort of plan..! "Hnhnhnhnhn... Here... I'll set a monster in defense," he announced, rippling appearing beneath the waves as the beast's card shimmered beneath the surface. "Who knows what it'll be... But if you attempt even the slightest move against me," the warrior warned with a smirk, "This shield will take the blow."
Hng... Perhaps... But there had to be more. More to this move, more to why Oshita was going through with the duel rather than trying to fight. This was a completely basic move, a simple stall strategy... A monster in defense to be cautious. So why did he feel 'off'... Uneasy? "Hng... Draw," he shouted, moving about the shore of the river in slow and pacing motions as he kept his eye on the ripples. All questions aside, he needed to get rid of that monster if he was going to get his weapon back from over the falls; Shomyo was 'three tier' after all, so there was a chance it landed partway down the cliff... More importantly, he needed to be as ready to bolt as possible, ready to jump for an opening to the falls, to jump away from an attack...
He needed 'help'. Six cards were embedded into his mind, six cards that he knew were in his 'hand' despite both being empty as he stared toward his opponent. Monsters, spells, traps... "I summon the Retrained Elf Swordsman," he cried, throwing his hand forward abruptly. Sparks of electricity seemed to fly from the hand, forming a screen before cracking into a shower of pixels. The pixels converged... Folded into each other, forming armor and cloth, and as the warrior swung his sword forward its summoner pointed the elf toward his opponent. "I might not be able to reach you," Yugi announced with a frown, "But I know that he can! ATTACK," he announced, the elf charging forward with a nod.
Though unable to walk across the water as their opponent could, the retrained elf was certainly agile enough to complete his task. Leaping into the air he dove toward the rippling location on the water, sword spearing the card it hid completely. Water burst from the glass-like card, the swordsman hurriedly pushing off from the bird-like creature that surfaced before he was taken below with it. The water was dyed red as the bird's corpse floated... But within seconds it was taken by the river's current, the water cleared of the blood and again smooth save for the torrent beneath the 'Deep Sea Warrior'. 'Ashinigray'... That was a fairly weak monster though he told himself, so why did Oshita summon- "Heh!" A short laugh came from across the boy, Yugi and his swordsman both narrowing their eyes in suspicion. "Ashinigray's effect activates," Oshita shouted, pointing forward with a grin. "When flip-summoned in any manner, the player must discard one card," he continued, the boy across him jumping as his 'hand' appeared before him.
"Ack-" The screen flashed intermittently, an odd light glowing near the bottom of the five cards sitting in view. 'Choose 1 Card' the menu stated, voice almost monotone in the usual 'female' computer voice. Choose one card... "...This one then," he decided as he tapped the screen, the 'Exchange' card vanishing from sight before his 'hand' returned to the back of his mind. He didn't think there would be anything in Oshita's hand to help really but...
At this Oshita continued to grin, crossing his arms while his opponent frowned. "Hehehehehe... In that case," the man stated with a smirk, "Allow me to continue my move; when Ashinigray is destroyed," he explained, a shimmering 'glass' pane again appearing beneath the water, "I am also allowed to special summon another in face-down defense mode... And since it's now my turn," the man continued, baring his shark-like teeth to his opponent, "I'll not only flip-summon him to discard another of your cards, but I'll summon a second monster, Ipiria, whose own effect allows me to draw yet another card!" Tch... Yugi continued to grimace as the two monsters both rose from the river, the 'ashinigray' flapping above and the lizard 'Ipiria' merely content to poke his eyes atop the water. "Don't feel so bad," Oshita was announcing, opponent biting his lip as he tossed away 'De-Spell' from the menu that appeared. "After all," he continued, "It's only natural I should gain the upper hand... An Italian and political mind of the Renaissance once said after all, that 'there are three specific conditions for success. First, seize chance,'" he began, gesturing to the field with a dark gaze. "The second," he went on in continued gesture, "Utilize the abilities at hand... As for the third... Well..."
The man trailed off, leaving Yugi to stare at both the Ashinigray and bearded Ipiria as the two returned the gaze with wide and bulging eyes. Ashinigray was in 'defense mode' of course... It was hovering near its master, ready to take an attack should anything happen. Ipiria however was swimming through the river, lips peeling back to reveal retractable teeth as Yugi grew pale. He had no weapons... The elf could easily take it out for him, but if that lizard moved as quick on land as it did in the water... 'End turn,' Oshita had called out, a card abruptly appearing in Yugi's mind for his draw. Ah... Baphomet...
Wait... The boy's eyes widened as he looked over his hand, before a small and fairly 'other Yugi'-esque smirk came over his face. Of course! In the last turn he didn't have monsters that could make it further than a few feet from shore... But if he used something like this, he could easily get to the falls, and at the same time take out a large number of Oshita's life points! "I play the spell polymerization," he announced, raising his hands and charging forward as the spiral appeared behind him. "Summoning two monsters from my hand in the form of Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast," he roared, both Baphomet and Gazelle vanishing from his mind as sparks flew and scattered from the spiral. The boy leaped into the air as the monster formed, gripping the horns of one of the heads as the monster continued to charge. "And now," he continued, Chimera taking to the skies by a considerable amount as 'Ipira' attempted to attack, "Activating the spell Quick Attack," the boy roared, "He makes his move! Attack Ipiria," he commanded, the monster diving forward as Yugi swallowed. "And while I do that..." Carefully and nervously he stood on the monster's back, coming closer and closer toward the ground. Two seconds left... One... Pushing off from the lion's head as it came near to the ground he dove forward, easily passing over his opponent with outstretched arms. The falls were just behind his opponent after all... And if he made it there while Chimera distracted him, and if he was able to retrieve his boomerang...
But as he fell toward the edge of the falls a wave of water struck him from behind, knocking him off course and forcing him to grab at the cliff. Hands flailed, and from above a sword fell toward him... And as he looked up, grabbing the sword and falling back, he could see the water destroy the elf completely. "Activate my effect," Oshita had roared, his opponent barely managing to catch the cliff with the swords as it sparked and skidded down the side. "By sacrificing two of my monsters," he continued, voice drowned out by the sound of falling water and scraping stone, "All battle damage is reflected on the opponent!" Gh... Water burns seared through his back in response to the attack dealt, Yugi weakly attempting to pull himself up and loosen the sword from the cliff wall. The elf... It wasn't dead yet... It was in this blade, he told himself, in the sword...
He could feel it, even from in a computer... "Gh..." He just needed to get the blade out, and get to solid ground... "Ngh..." Just... Needed to get himself out he told himself, weakly pulling his arms over the flat of the blade. Just...
"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Uh-oh... "Attempting to run," a voice hissed, Yugi turning to the side to pale considerably as his eyes met with the source. 'Standing' in the middle of the waterfall his opponent leered, nasty grin permanently placed on his face as he raised his spear. The waters had converged around him completely, enveloping him to his waist to make it appear as though he had simply risen from the stone itself. Amid this however, nothing was more terrifying than the detail of the sharks teeth he could see in the man's mouth. "Perhaps you should have studied great thinkers as I had..! The third condition for success is this after all," he shouted with a grin, adjusting his spear and hurling it forward with a cackle. "Tempting the enemy into their own destruction!"
H-HAH! Without another thought the boy somehow swung himself up on the sword, the spear passing beneath him as he looked toward his opponent. Wobbly feet stood on the blade, Yugi quickly spotting a bit of cliff wall to grab on in his panic. "Ngh... That may be true," he managed to shout, moving his grip to the cliff as he forced his blade out from the stone, "But that doesn't mean I'm giving in..! You don't have any monsters to defend you anymore," he continued, holding the blade forward and kicking off from the cliff's wall to run along the rocks. "Which means I... Rather, the Elf Swordsman," he roared determinedly, "Can attack directly!"
The grin fell immediately as he charged forward, Oshita left without even a weapon to block the strike. "Gh- The elf..!" The monster stumbled back as Yugi brought the sword down on his opponent, before a vicious grin appeared over the warrior's face. From the seas rose another monster to come between the two, a strange and haired lizard gripping the sword in his hands. He should have fallen by now... One would think that the monster's hands would be bleeding at least, but instead Yugi found himself screaming as he was thrown back by the sword itself.
"H-Hhah..! HHHAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Falling, falling, falling..! Fingers and sword both scrambled at the sides of the cliff as he fell, before finally the boy skidded to a stop. His sword was dangling almost loosely in his 'free' hand as the stones dug into the sliced and torn tips of his other, the boy staring at his hand in fear. Blood spilt freely over the rocks and slowly dripped down, with Yugi looking down at the extended length of the falls with a swallow. "Gh... Not good..." The falls had already been 350 meters tall... Did it have to be taller?
"It's my turn again," Oshita sneered from his position, looking over the blood that Yugi's attack had spilt on his own form. "As you can see," he shouted clearly, ignoring the gaping wound on his chest, "By taking over 1000 points of damage from that attack, I was able to special summon this monster to my side; Ruklamba," he announced, the lizard grinning from its master's side, "The Spirit King! More importantly," Oshita continued loudly, "For my turn, I summon another monster, 'Yowie', in attack mode!" A second lizard poked its head from the river's water's, six insect like legs taking grip on the nearby stones. "Yowie also has an effect," its master announced, Yugi swallowing from where he gripped the wall. "Preventing you from taking your draw next turn... Moreover, by sacrificing 800 of my lifepoints," the man explained coldly, "I can activate Pre-Mature Burial, bringing Ipiria back from the dead in attack mode!" One, two, three... Yugi's eyes widened briefly, the boy shrinking back as much as he could while hanging from a cliff. S...So many...
"You... You..." The boy squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth as a powerful wave of fear came over him. "All you do is defend..! You never attack! How can you win like that," he asked, shaking his head as the monsters began creeping toward him from the falls. "How!"
"It's quite easy," Oshita muttered with a smirk, the warrior as well beginning to rise from the fall's side. "After all, a defense is the strongest way to fight off an attack... But to maintain such a defense at all times, 'it's too troublesome', or so people say... And so few know of the true power behind it," he explained darkly, "Of the power they so misunderstand... But you," he continued, sneering as his army stood around him. "You'll understand soon enough," he chuckled, opponent swallowing in unease. "Perhaps now you're still unsure... Still under the naive belief that you'll escape this place and that you'll win," Oshita continued, his opponent continuing to flush and pale as he struggled to hold his slipping grip. "But those are childish thoughts, from a childish boy with nothing on his mind but games and toys! And it is thoughts such as that which will bring your end," he roared, "Which will allow me to win! So what's wrong," he called out, holding his hands out toward the boy with a grin. "Are you frozen with fear..? Or are you simply quaking under the truth? You should never have come here, and you should have known that long ago! Because this domain... This is the realm of 'warriors', such as your 'Type B' self," the man sneered, Yugi bowing his head as tears began to fall. "Not for 'children'..."
Gh... Ghn... "Stop..." His hand was on fire... If he tightened his grip it hurt even more, but if he loosened it the blood would make him slip. "...Stop..." There were so many monsters across from him, so many who could attack while he was in this prone position. And if he attacked, he didn't know what would happen as a result, with nothing but the Elf Swordsman's blade in his hand and Chimera looming above. He didn't know if Chimera could catch something under the water... Didn't know if he'd move in time. So... So... He...
"Aibou," a calm voice whispered, the boy looking up with a jolt. "Calm yourself," the spirit of his other half continued, his 'light' sniffing somewhat as he bit back the pain. "I believe in you and your choices this fight... And that's all that matters, isn't it?"
"Other me..." All that mattered... As he continued to stare he realized why he'd been able to grip the ledge, the second tier of the falls meeting his eyes. This... "...Right," he said clearly, steeling himself with a swallow. With shaking limbs he pulled himself up, adjusting his grip on the sword and looking toward his opponent. "In that case... Even with all these monsters there," he roared, hopping along the various foot holds of the waterfall as he somehow ran along the sides, "I'll still attack! HaaaaaAAAAAAHHH!" Wait...
Wasn't he forgetting something? "Heh!" Yugi's opponent snorted as he came near, two of the monsters guarding him now appearing translucent and aqueous in form. "My effect activates," the monster announced, arms still crossed as Yugi was charged by the water-like beasts, "REFLECTOR HOLE!"
"Gh- GHNAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Torrents of water burst from the monsters, sending him back in a wave of pain. "GRNAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Friction burns scattered his front... And as he hit the water, plummeting toward the bottom, it only increased tenfold. Water... He was underwater... The boy's eyes widened as he pushed past the pain, grabbing at his throat as he attempted to swim upward. "Mmm... Mmmngg..! MMMN!" Drowning... He was going to drown here..! "MMNNGGGH!" He was under water, if he tried to breath, if he couldn't breath, he'd- "MngG... GhaaaaAAH!" He'd... "Hah... ...Hah... ...Hah..." Yugi's chest raised and lowered as he again sank beneath the large 'bowl' at the bottom of the falls, swallowing painfully as he brought a hand to his throat. Impossible... He could... "I... I can breath," he whispered questioningly, slowly blinking as he sat up. Roars sounded from above, the noise faded and almost more of a dull whisper... Chimera couldn't enter the river or go underwater of course, but even if he could, Yugi wouldn't have seen him, let alone heard him clearly. The water was too murky... Too clouded to see beyond the first foot or so of his blade, which was laying beside him as he grabbed at the hilt.
Dark... Despite the light illuminating the 'smog' around him, it was so dark... A rush of water passed from behind, the boy swiftly turning with his blade at the ready. Nothing was there... He couldn't see, it was just nothing but brown-yellow all around, but even so he knew that something that was 'there' no longer was. Another rush of water from behind, and again he turned, looking around with wide and panicked eyes as the process repeated about itself. 'How does it feel,' Oshita was muttering, voice distorted and echoed by the waters around him as he turned. 'The damage dealt by your own hand..? You won't last much longer,' the warrior chuckled, sound echoing painfully around the boy. 'Not after that...'
"Gh... Show yourself," he shouted, eyes wide with fear. "Where are you!"
'Poor little 'Yugi'... Almost out of highschool and he looks the same age as his friend's little brother!' Gh- He didn't look- 'So weak... You're NOTHING,' Oshita spat, 'Nothing but a weak little boy hiding behind his shadow!' Shad-
"Stop that," he shouted with grit teeth, turning to where the voice had come from again to find nothing. "Stop!"
'Are you afraid,' the opponent asked, Yugi shuddering as he backed away from the 'source'. 'Are you scared? Of losing, of dying perhapse? Don't be... You should have seen it coming after all,' he chuckled, his opponent breathing laboringly as he searched for the fish-man. 'As a General of Prussia once said,' Oshita growled, 'The master of loss knows well when he's lost again, before the battle has even begun...'
"Gh... You..." 'Master of loss'? He wouldn't lose! He wasn't...
But he couldn't see... He couldn't attack, he couldn't see, he couldn't do anything, and if Oshita took him out now..!
"Aibou," his other half whispered quickly, snapping the boy from his panicked stupor. "The goggles..!" The goggles? But they were probably filled with water and if that was the case how were they going to wor- "Do it anyways," the spirit shouted from the back of his mind, "Trust me!"
T... ...Alright... But... As Yugi pulled the goggles down, he could hear Oshita's voice again, the boy's eyes squeezed shut as he attempted to block the sound out. 'So Yugi,' he asked, the boy before him slowly opening his eyes as his hearing and vision cleared to a completely cleaned river.
"...Do you surrender?"
"Aaaaaaa... AAAAHHH! HAAAAAAAH!" The boy stumbled back in shock as large and unblinking red eyes met his, wide, fish-like, pupil-less and set on a scaled green face. Beneath the seas the warrior had no use for his glass visor; he saw as well as any other creature born to the seas, and didn't need something like goggles. Unlike above where his eyes were sensitive this was his domain... And as Yugi fell back in fear the monster grinned, shark's teeth making the image all the more frightening as he struggled to breath.
"Hnhnhnhnhn... That body is as good as mine," the monster sneered, 'Ruklamba' swimming around him in a swirl with matching expression. "While you were swimming in panic I was able to make my move... While you cowered in fear I brought two more monsters to the field, with Ruklamba's effect and now I'm ready to attack! Watch," he roared with a grin, pointing a second monster forward as Yugi swallowed. "Melchid the Four-Faced Beast attacks the Retrained Swordsman!"
A-Attacks the swordsman! Yugi hurriedly brought his sword up in defense as a large 'clawed' egg tore through the waters above, his feet skidding back from the force to leave deep trails in the thick mud. The attack was blocked... Mostly. Yugi's eyes widened with horror as he looked over the blade, staring down at where he'd been pushed up along the river bed. Cracks were appearing along the blade as it blocked Melchid's claws, the sword seeming to almost glow in protest to the blow. This... This... "I don't even need my weapon to destroy you," Oshita sneered from across him, the blade brightening to a blinding extent as Yugi shut his eyes. "This monster is enough even for you!"
"G-GAAAAAAAAAHH!" In an instant the blade exploded, shards of metal embedding themselves in his skin as he was launched from the waters. The goggles flew back on his face with cracks in the lenses, the sword's hilt vanishing from his hand in a shower of pixels as he was left with a burn. Sharp pain rushed through his body as he landed on the rocks on shore, coughing and moving his goggles up to a more comfortable position as he weakly gripped the stone he landed on. "Un... Unggh..." More coughing escaped him. The boy slowly looked up, pulling himself to his feet and biting his lip in tear-filled agony before turning his attentions to the falls. His opponent was there again... Standing at the very top, arms crossed with a sneer on his face. "Y-You..." Chimera roared as its master returned, flying to Yugi's side as the boy continued to stare forward. All along the falls monsters had appeared, with their master rising to the second tier to stand by his fallen weapon. Melchid, Ruklamba, the 'Wall of Illusion'... And below them... "My boomerang," he whispered in disbelief, blood draining as he realized how far from him the weapon was. This was bad... Really bad...
"So you can still stand," Oshita sneered, visor again in place as he stood above the roaring waters. "Truly a pity... It seems I'll just have to beat you down until that body is mine! 'The crown of honor belongs only to the winner' after all... And the ends justify the means'," he roared with a laugh, smirking as the quote was given. "So said a Prussian General, along with this; 'In good times, morale can be improved... But in bad times," he continued darkly, "Your power will simply be gone'... It doesn't take much, to realize what 'time' this is..." More quotes, more quotes...
Just what was his power..? How... How was he able to do all of this? Yugi swallowed as he stood on the rocky banks, staring upward in nervous fear. No weapons, no way to attack... The 'Wall of Illusion' would return any monster that attacked back into his hand... And even if he did attack, Oshita would just activate his effect, killing him before he even had a chance to catch a break. He... He... A card appeared in the back of his mind, one that arrived just as it came to his turn to draw. 'Rainbow Blessing', his mind told him, the description of the spell following with. If he had a monster on the field, he could attack directly using this... But until then, and until the wall wasn't there to simply ruin that opprotunity... "I'm not giving up," he managed to shout hoarsely, despite the cuts and gashes across his body. He could hear cries from his 'other' in the back of his mind, begging him to switch out. But as he'd said before, he wasn't going to do that. "I'm still fighting," he announced, waving his hand as a flat and nearly translucent panel appeared to his side. "I set a card face down... And I end my turn," the boy finished, Chimera growling threateningly beside him before crouching to a defensive pose.
Now... What to do about this effect. "My turn then," Oshita was saying with a grin, a screen never once appearing with his 'cards'. A similar 'glass panel' appeared at his side, bandages tearing forth as Yugi ducked. "First," his opponent announced, "The card Offerings to the Doomed, destroying your Chimera!" With those very words the bandages wrapped about Chimera completely, pulling it into the panel before disappearing under the waves of the waterfall. The monster's effect still activated of course... Baphomet or Gazelle would take Chimera's place now, just as soon as he made the decision between the two. But before he did make the decision, Oshita had something else to say, something else that caught Yugi's eyes and filled him with horror.
Or rather, something he did was what filled him with such fear. "Wall of Illusion and Mechlid are sacrificed," the man announced darkly, the beasts scattering into light as Yugi silently made his decision for fear of death. "Summoning the Rainbow Snake Eingana!" Ei... Ein... "ATTACK!"
Water burst from the river at the side with the beast's summoning, Yugi ducking under as mist and spray filled the air. Coated with iridescent scales Eingana towered above him, blocking his opponent from view, and it wasn't pleased. At his side stood Baphomet, the demon having successfully been summoned in defense mode... But it was all for naught, and despite the enormous, oversized fangs of the beast it was easy to see what would happen. "Hng... No! Baphomet..!"
"That's right," Oshita roared, cackling as his serpent swallowed the monster whole. Baphomet's legs and arms flailed as the monster was tossed into the air, wings injured by the snakes fangs and unable to grant it escape. Eingana was pleased now... It had its fill, and it did its master's bidding. But now... "Now," Oshita announced, "With your defenses left wide open, Ruklamba attacks directly!" No... No..! The boy closed his eyes and continued to cringe, biting his lip. It couldn't... No!
There had to be something else! Something else he could do! Something-
"ACTIVATE EFFECT!" A thundering voice rang through the air, the boy opening his eyes with a jolt.
The... The other... Him? Yugi's eyes widened as the voice seemed to echo off the mist in the air, his gaze widening further as his vision was filled with a swarm of kuriboh. "T-This..."
"Kuriboh's ability as deck master," the other Yugi announced, still nowhere to be seen among the swarm of fur-balls, "While on the field, just once per match," he continued with a snarl, "A single direct attack can be negated!"
"That voice..." The monster across from them glowered, clenching his fists in rage as the kuriboh slowly began to fade. "Impossible... This can't be! The 'Type B Yugi!"
One of the kuriboh turned, winking somewhat as the others slowly disappeared in Ruklamba's blast. It looked somewhat... Different from the others, he noted. Though it was just as brown as the standard, there were tips that seemed more 'red' than brown, and its eyes... "A-Ah... O-Other me," he managed to mutter, coughing with wide eyes. "Did you... How did you..?"
"Ahh... Well," the other Yugi muttered from the kuriboh, mouth mostly hidden by fur, "I had only intended to switch out and re-direct the attack, to give you a break," he admitted, sounding incredibly odd with his voice coming out of the beast. The 'monster' gestured to himself, shaking his 'head' as he sighed. "Instead... Well... It would appear the program didn't completely know what to do." He... The other him tried to switch...
And got stuck in a kuriboh. How..? Yugi nodded, still clearly surprised but nonetheless steeling himself in lieu of more important things. "I understand... We can talk later; for now, we need to finish this," he continued, turning toward the field with a swallow. "Got that?"
His other-self, the kuriboh it seemed, nodded, hovering by his side. "Of course!"
"You hear that, Oshita," he shouted, confidence more or less renewed as he looked up toward his opponent. "We'll never give up..! Even if we have to climb this waterfall to reach you!"
Oshita's response was, to say the least, more or less expected. "Hnhnhn...Hnhnha... HAHAHAHAHAA! OH! This is just WONDERFUL," the man howled in response, holding his head as he leaned back. "You wall is gone now, your only defense a kuriboh," he cackled with a laugh, "And you believe you can somehow win? In the next turn Eigana will attack," the warrior announced, the snake in question hissing threateningly. "And then, it'll all be over!"
Hn... So that was it then... But in all honesty the boy told himself, he didn't fell like it was. A card appeared in his mind, a card whose name and effect was burned into memory in an instant. This monster... 'Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight', a monster who could be special summoned when no others were in their hand. This monster...
This was perfect..! Yugi summoned the monster immediately as it came to his turn, waiting for the monster to appear it only to feel a rush of energy float over him. There was no room where they stood for another monster... No room for a horse and knight, or even simply a horse to say the least. In spirit and power Gaia was there however, and he was ready to fight along side his summoner. "Oshita... You know a lot of things, don't you," Yugi asked from beside his partner, the monstrous opponent appearing to frown in response. "Many quotes from many people... But knowing lines and experiencing the things that inspired them... Those are two completely different things," he shouted up, light streaming from the card before the two as he continued. "'The crown of honor goes to the winner'... Oshita," he called out, jumping forward from the rock as his other-self followed, "That crown isn't yours to take! I activate my spell," he continued, the light wrapping around himself and his 'other' both as they briefly flew beside the other before merging once again. "Rainbow Blessing! Allowing the monster I summoned to attack directly," he roared, both himself and his other half making the attack from within the vessel. "HRRRAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"Monster," Oshita roared, pulling as much water as possible about him while Yugi paused a moment at the first tier. "There's no other monster here! What sort of nonsense are you spouting," he continued, blinded by the streams of colours now filling the air. There was no answer as the light bounced from the hovering mist, the warrior grinding his teeth as he lost sight of his target from below. There was nothing but a pastel rainbow, a ray of light... Nothing but a mist, surrounding him. "The 'crown of honor'... You cannot WIN boy, you know this," he spat in rage, "You-"
"I've already won," he said almost regretfully, the mist abruptly clearing from the field as Oshita slowly turned.
Fear was more than evident in the fish-man's eyes, just slightly visible behind his visor in the blinding light. "Y-You... How..."
"I summoned Swift Gaia, the Fierce Knight," Yugi explained, light seeming to emanate from every portion of his being in the remaining power of the 'Rainbow Blessing'. "But for some reason, the monster never came; I was the one attacking, Oshita. And now," he continued, the warrior growing pale as blood slowly seeped from a deep wound across his chest, "You're dead... I'm sorry," the boy stated, the garb he wore shimmering brilliantly in the light that filled the air as he bowed his head, "But you've lost."
Oshita merely clutched at his wound, staring dully at the bloodied, three-bladed boomerang in Yugi's hands as he fell to his knees and gasped. "You... You never aimed for me..."
"...No," the boy admitted, biting his lip. "All I needed was to defeat you, right," he asked, eyes far betraying the impersonality he had attempted to use as a mask in front of the man. "All I needed... Was to reach past your monsters and grab my boomerang... I never expected to make it all the way up the falls in addition to that," he continued, shaking his head. "I never expected to make the hit before the boomerang opened..."
Blood began to fall from Oshita's mouth... The mask across his face pulled back, and slowly the warrior began to fall toward the edge of the cliff. "You... It looks like you taught me something, brat! Gkh... Gk..!" Ragged chokes met the air, blood dropping to the ground and staining his teeth as he growled. "You..." The man scowled, rage again filling his face as he gave his final words. "This isn't over... Boy..."
Time suddenly seemed to fall back in place with those words, with the disappearance of his opponent. As colours and fur blew off his armor, his appearance restored to normalcy Oshita's body toppled into the river below, and as it toppled across each tier Yugi found himself staring over the side with dull eyes. The blood on his blade was cleaned off by water and the 'end game' both, and despite the fact that the cape appeared with his spell card, it remained behind, dying itself in a colour to match his once more leathery clothes... The energy from Gaia, along with the presence of the giant snake Eingana, had both vanished completely from the field, and in the absence of the rainbow's blinding light it seemed as though clouds had settled in. The fight was over he told himself, somehow managing to sheath his boomerang on his back before falling limp on his feet. It was...
-patcht- -patcht- -patcht- ...That sound...
...Clapping..? Yugi slowly turned, eyes narrowing as they met with the form of 'Noa'. Now that he could see more than the face, his assumptions of the boy's age were immediately confirmed. The boy that stood before him was most certainly younger than himself, and not merely 'young' in appearance; yet while he was only barely shorter than Mokuba was, it seemed to him that Noa would be the older of the two however. It was strange... He seemed to radiate both maturity and immaturity both, fluxuating between the two constantly. More importantly he told himself, staring at the light-haired child before him, this boy, looking at him now, more than ever cemented a resemblance to Kaiba. "You... ...Noa," he said with a swallow, catching himself before he backed off the waterfall cliff.
"Hnhnhnhnhn... That's right..." Noa seemed to hover in mid air, a look across his face that far betrayed what dark intentions all those he'd trapped suspected. "I must congratulate you," he said with a smirk, stepping down from where he 'hovered' to walk over across the surface of the river. "Oshita, while a novice duelist," he admitted calmly, "Was still a master of strategy in his own right, a true 'threat'... Had you drawn any other monster," he added with a small narrowed grin, "You might have been killed..."
Yes... Yes he could have... But just what was he doing, going on about that... "...What are you up to," he asked, swallowing nervously as Noa continued to stare toward him. "All of this... Is this just a game to you," he continued almost angrily, "Did you even intend for Oshita to win this fight?"
Noa merely smiled, shaking his head as he sighed. "Ahhh... Such concern, even for someone who just recently intended to kill you. An admirable trait," the boy said calmly, arms crossed loosely before his chest as he went on. "The sort of thing that makes yourself and your 'other' such great friends to all you know..." The sort of- What..? As Yugi narrowed his eyes in confusion the boy continued to chuckle, moving on with what he was saying. "There's you, the 'real Yugi'," he began, "Kind, trusting, loyal to a fault... Always forgiving, always willing to believe in those around you no matter what could have possibly happened... And then your 'other'," he continued with a somewhat sinister smile, "Strong, fierce... Always willing to fight for what is right, to fight for the justice of those close... It's a tight bond," he stated quite plainly, "But do they really return it," the boy asked, Yugi tensing in response.
"Return..." He was trying to make him doubt his friends! "What are you getting at," he shouted, eyes wide. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Me? I'm talking about your 'friends'," Noa whispered, vanishing into a mist only to reappear behind the boy at the edge of the falls. Yugi turned with a jump as the boy spoke once more, backing away in fear as he grit his teeth. "There's Anzu Mazaki," he started off, "Whose crushes on you or your other are never quite certain... There's Bakura, and his own 'other half', and who knows what they're thinking," he chuckled, dark smirk in place as he again shifted to another location. "Then of course there's dear 'Kaiba-san', whose secrets you had to find from your own best friend... And I wonder," Noa continued with apparent curiosity, narrowing his eyes in mirth as Yugi struggled to find his appearing and disappearing form, "Who does Jonouchi care about more... You? Or 'Seto-chan'..?"
This... How... Not only did he knew everyone's names, he knew about Kaiba... He... "How do you know all of this," he whispered in horror, stepping back. "How..."
"Now now," the boy said with a smirk, misting closer to the boy with a grin. "That wasn't the question..."
Gh..! "You... It doesn't matter who he cares about more," he shouted honestly, narrowing his eyes as he again backed away. "That's his choice, not mine! And no matter what that choice is," he continued with a shout, "He's still my friend! No matter what!"
Noa's smirk shifted into an odd smile, the boy chuckling shortly as he turned away. "Hnhhnhnhn... Ahhhh... The words of a 'true friend'," he said calmly, seeming to sigh in 'understanding'. "And honest words at that... They make me wish I had known someone like yourself all those years ago," he continued, Yugi frowning at the cryptic words. "But ahhh... Even I can't change the past. And besides," he continued, a door appearing at his side as he held out a hand, "There's something else I was supposed to do."
"Wh- A door," his other asked in suspicion, Yugi as well narrowing his eyes.
"That's right," Noa said with a smirk, his target jumping as their unanswered questions were responded to. "More specifically," he explained, "This is the 'correct' one. Beyond this door lies the riddle to your friend's location," he continued, stepping to the side. "And beyond her location, that of the next one. But before you embark on this journey, I must warn you Yugi... Each path is fraught with danger, with secrets and nightmares formed from the depths of your friends minds. Their paths are out of my control," he continued, "And quite confusing at heart. So before you move on, consider this... Do you find yourself strong enough to break the defenses of your own friend's minds?" His friends..? There was only one answer to that...
And as he gave that response in the form of a nod, passing through the door, Noa continued to grin... Before the entirety of what lay behind Yugi's now closed exit vanished into nothing but zeroes, ones, and darkness.
Beyond the door, there was nothing but darkness, a darkness that pressed upon them both and left a cold feeling of dread in its place. 'Kisara', who remained so silent as to remain somehow unnoticed by the siblings, merely stood in the doorway as it closed shut in fact, and as Seto and Mokuba walked the woman found herself no so much frowning as looking around in unease with narrowed eyes. For some reason, this place seemed familiar, more so now that the light from the mountain and the door had vanished into space. Even without any noticeable traits, without any key points to discern it from... Anything really, she knew...
She knew that she'd been here before. The sound of sirens slowly hovered through the air, and as they continued to walk the woman had to pause. Beyond the sirens... Beyond the sounds of panicked shouts and laboured breathing that were slowly but surely growing louder in the air...
Crying. She could hear crying. Seto froze, her brother slowly turning back from where he'd been walking ahead. Amid the darkness a small light could be seen, growing in dull intensity. Slowly but surely the halls of a hospital were coming into view with this light, merging with the darkness... And with dim lighting there were running doctors and nurses, seeming to ghost in and out of memory around them.
"We've lost her," someone whispered, before the crying continued on. "I'm so sorry... But there's nothing we can do..." This...
"Nee-sama," Mokuba asked, slowly looking up in confusion. "Where is this..?"
This memory... She knew where she was. She... "Mokuba I want you to close your eyes," she said clearly, not looking down at the boy. "And plug your ears... And no matter what happens," the woman hissed almost dangerous, "Do not open them until I tell you to..!"
The boy frowned, looking forward as the memory became more clear in appearance. A small girl pulling at a bedside... A woman with white hair, covered head to toe by a covering for modesty and respect... "...Who is that..?"
"Just close your eyes," she repeated, grabbing her brother's hand as a shadow moved in the dark, a bundle in the person's arms as they passed. "I'll look for the door," she whispered under her breath, "Just..."
"...Nee-sama," he asked worriedly, voice seeming distant as the woman closed her eyes. "...Are you alright..?" Sirens... Crying...
'Wake up... Mom... Wake up... Why won't you...'
No...
"...Yes... I'm fine..."
No she wasn't.
AN: I know I wouldn't be...
And thus we have proof that Noa is going to be a much bigger prick in the fanfic than in the anime. Not to mention a creeper; is it just me, or was he trying to slip into Noa's good graces?
In any case, this chapter was more of a Yugi & Kaiba deal than anyone else. I'll be trying to keep things to two POV's per chapter you see, and to prove this, the next one will either be Yugi and Anzu followed by Shizuka, Otogi and Honda, or Jonouchi and Kaiba followed by those two sequences. It all depends, but I'll more likely start with the first two... Which means we won't see Jonouchi for a short while.
Or will we? I tend to plan out things like this before I start on it (for obvious reasons), and besides planning details this includes planning the order, so as to make it mesh properly. This order is actually why we won't hear from Ryuzaki for a while.
For a long while, I might add.
And in other news, the song I've been listening to constantly, 'Shiningray' from Miku, is... Really, really sad.
And possibly the reason why I felt like crying while figuring out not only the scene above, but for future scenes that are probably going to be a million times worse and make you want to throw tomatoes out of misery.
Uh... Yay? Don't worry though, those scenes (not counting the one above) do not concern death. You can take solace in that.
Of course, there's yet another song I'm listening to, which largely helped out with Yugi's scenes. It's much cheerier, and as usual with me, it's another Vocaloid song; 'Hakobako Player'. It's not bad, go give it a listen. (Note that it has nothing to do with anything in this chapter. Yaaaay~)
Anonymous Review Responses
Glad you like the updates Iona!
As for Kisara, the important thing to remember is that she looks about ten and that she's not really her… As to how that will play out, it will be VERY CONFUSING.
Though I'll be making Kaiba's involvement make a lot more sense really. As for Blue-Eyes, not really actually; since the monsters in the system aren't tied to the actual cards, they're actually rather 'soulless'; this is partially why Yami got… Well, 'stuck' when he attempted to utilize Kuriboh's 'multiply' ability as deck master. Whoops~
No breaks for Jonouchi! Though trust me, the weird is about to get very depressing, so… You might want to watch yourself.
Any ways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Hehehe, yessss, kickass is good right RandomProjects?
As for Anzu, you'll see next chapter…
I'm glad you like the classes! As for the hows, a number of them are derived from either their weapons/outfit (Jou), the classes from the Legendary Heroes (Mokuba, Seto, Yugi), and more importantly, the Monster World (Anzu had chosen Magician, Honda the Gunman.).
As for Shizuka, I wanted something other than White Mage (Which would be expected), but wanted someone who could still heal… Rather than having two Red Mages, I went with Blue; the difference between the two being that Blue copies enemy attacks and spells while Red just does whatever. Otogi is me being stereotypical. Hehe.
And no! Defintiely not; it's just me extending on Kaiba's past; Siegfried and 'Schroeder Corp' as its called make an appearance in the 'Grand Prix' arc of the fifth season. However, while it was really hard for Kaiba to remember him in the anime, it will not be like that in the fanfic…
So yea, plot point I guess.
OH! This is because the duel doesn't have to rely on the duel; basically, while the Big 5 prefer a duel (Hence why, as you can see above, Oshita took pains to disarm Yugi), those with weapons could technically get right in there and take them out, no life-points necessary… The 'Deckmaster' rule is simply reality in place now; besides the extra ability, its every man for themselves, as the 'deckmaster' is merely the player!
And now, hopefully Yugi's fight sheds a bit of light on things… But if it helps, the deckmaster somewhat determines the stat-level; depending on level, attack and defines, the Hit-Points are altered. In other words, life points are one thing, but any attack Yugi received from Oshita directly, while monsters were on the field, would count not to his life points but his actual well being.
And since he picked Kuriboh, he's about as good as a kitten against an ox in terms of trying to fight 'traditionally' while in close combat.
Anyways; Yugi's actually a pro level duelist of course, so his fight doesn't really show how it's 'fair'… Shizuka-Otogi-Honda VS Ota however, will, along with Anzu's fight in the next chapter.
Hey don't worry, Kaiba said she would only beat him half to death CynicalGamer- …Wait, that's if he dies first…
You're right, he's doomed!
…I'm not talking about the peacock thing right now. *buries head in sand* (Why are the guy birds the pretty ones!)
Yep; though disturbing doesn't even cover it sometimes. The original Kaiba was a little better as well; it's as though, by the time Doma came, he just sort of said 'Fuck it- the cards are REAL damn it.'
*pats back* You… You can do it..!
We shall say nothing more of the dub, to much bad moods. As for dancing, isn't he? You've actually made the same hilarious connection my friend did; I ended up sitting at the computer and groaning when I realized it myself. I suppose, being the one drawing/writing it, it took a bit to sink in.
As for Saraph, that's ok; unless you're stalking my thoughts, you're not supposed to.
He really should tell them, but you're quite right; there's a time and place, and it's not here… Though once we reach him again, there'll be quite a lot of strange question answering fun. You are hoping a little much here… (Kisara is Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon after all; one of them anyways.) …But the programs themselves do trigger other memories, so don't feel like they're just useless add-ons!
Enjoy the chapter now!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that would like to give Kaiba a hug... But then would get it shot.
Hey this isn't a game reference! Nope. It does however get inspiration from a song including the lyrics 'into the river below'. I can't remember who sung it, nor what it's called, by I remember that much, and couldn't help but think it would fit.
What what, more Siegfried? Actually really important, not that you'll see why until the end of this arc. And possibly Grand Prix. (It's fragmented, complicated, non-canonical… But you'll love it, trust me.)
Now then! Besides more hinting at the 'distance limit' between our favourite Light-Dark duo, as you know, I'm using subbed dialogue. Oshita (Dub's 'Gansley') did a lot of quoting in his battle, and in addition, has a habit of referring to the two Yugi's as 'type a' and 'type b'. He was the company's president of Business Strategy.
Why isn't Shizuka on the initial (and short) list of non-pro-duelists? Well, for one, Mokuba is flat out stated as 'not duelling'. Honda gets both this and a 'he's TERRIBLE at the game' response. Anzu in the meantime is good, but certainly not pro-level, and certainly not duelling regularly enough to warrant some unease. (Otogi didn't make the list, as Yugi considers him a far better gamer given all that the guy works on.)
However, Yugi heard Shizuka tell Jonouchi that she 'didn't have her deck' in the last chapter, which leads him to believe she has a little more experience in the matter. And she actually does this time around… But it's not nearly the level that he likely thinks it is.
Originally, not only was Yami fighting almost the entire duel (Yugi came in for… One move involving Kuriboh being summoned to the field, and then collapsed.), but Kuriboh picked himself; Yami had been all 'I should probably pick the Dark Magician', but the Kuriboh decided to hop out of its card instead.
In this case, as Yugi seemed to have a bit more faith in the furball from the start, Yugi simply chose it.
Silly dub! You named the 'Retrained Elf Swordsman' the obnoxious one. Pffffft.
There's a number of dialogue changes here, largely because of the fast-paced manner of the fight. The duelists no longer have the time to sit around and ponder everything after all, and as Yugi demonstrates, there's a lot of practicality going into it as well; he really couldn't attack Oshita from above the water… Nor would he have made it to the falls without jumping from really freaking high.
On another note, a few of Oshita's quotes were cut from the script, as they started the episode in the same manner most continuing manga chapters do; making no sense save for re-cap. That, or they simply involved lots of pausing...
Which again, did not happen at all unless you count that frightening scene underwater.
How tall is Hannoki falls? 497 meters, which is over 1500 feet. Shomyo (The one Yugi is on) however is 350 meters... Though that's just over 1000 feet too, which isn't that bad in terms of awesome-ness.
To put it in perspective as to just how high up Yugi is (and just how much of a right to be scared he has), Niagara falls is only 52 meters tall; 167 feet. Angel Falls, the world's tallest, is 979 meters, or 3,212 feet...
And Angel Falls is probably about the same height as the super-sized waterfall poor Yugi is fighting on.
A note on the 'tiers'!
Shoymyo falls has four stages; 70 meters, then 58 meters, then 96, and finally the last 126 meters, though both falls appear to have just as many 'tiers'. The first, obviously, is the 'seventy meter mark', and that's about where Yugi's boomerang is. The second is a fair distance lower, and is where he made his next attack (Oshita was positioned below the first tier by that point.), and since he was thrown back from there, that means he fell REALLY FAR.
Ouch.
Kay here's where it gets weird, and where I get creative; Wall of Illusion's ability in the fanfic changed from affecting 'anything attacking it' to 'anything attacking'… As the fact is, in the anime, Yugi didn't know what the card 'Rainbow Blessing' did.
Despite the instructions being right on it.
A-DURRRRRRRR… In any case, seeing how I'm pretty sure Yugi can read, I needed another excuse for events to play out.
Otherwise we'd never see that snake, and that would just be TERRIBLE. (I got a thing for drawing/imagining fights against giant monsters.)
On another note, Gaia's non-appearance is due to something that I realized as I reached that part. Gaia is a knight. He rides on a horse.
Yugi was standing on a random rock at the base of a waterfall. Ergo, there would be no room. Whoops. Besides, the 'Celtic Guardian' randomly vanished into a sword so… Why not?
Fun fact guys! Rainbows often form in mist… Included in the types of mist this happens in, is that of a waterfall. But really, any form of water will do it; airborne dew, rain, spray… Basically, any bit of water in the air that refracts light.
Also, misty ones look a little paler. Probably because it's mist...
Also, I was VERY close to ripping off 'Fist of the North Star'… 'YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD'! Ahahaha...
That would take the shout outs too far though.
FanArt And My Art Section
Remove spaces, paste link; da-da-daaaaa!
Not much today; mostly 'reference art', or me being really happy about what things look like and showing it off like a silly little first grader. How mature am I?
In any case, there's still spoilers! As Honda will end up with his body kidnapped away by the entire Big 5, there's obviously lots of deckmaster designs for him... To keep from spamming EVERYONE when we finally get to that point, I'm posting each one as we go.
So here we go!
Reference: Rainbow Blessing/Angry Yami-Kuriboh – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ RainbowYugis. jpg - In which all of you learn why I shouldn't write these chapters after drinking three cups of coffee. And after watching Inception again. And playing Pokemon. And... You know what, never mind.
In any case, the anime's rainbow was two blinding for me to handle, so I stuck with some nice pastels; as to why Yugi's hair went rainbow-y (besides the bangs), well... All of Kuriboh's fur took that colour, and the main part of his hair was affected by the deck-master change. (Not to say it was brown or anything, but it wasn't completely black either.)
Also, Yami the Kuriboh. BAHAHAHAHAHA!
'We will never speak of this again.' 'Agreed.'
Spoiler!-Reference: Possessed Honda (Deep Sea Warrior) – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ SeaWarriorHonda. jpg - That's right. He got a harpoon gun. This actually works out for reasons beyond me... Even though he only got one. ...Aren't those eyes creepy? It'll get worse. (Hehehe.)
In any case, that's all for today! Enjoy the chapter, and coming up next... Anzu VS Otaki!