Skin

by Usagi Squared

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

92. Chapter 91

Ryuuseigun

---

It seemed that the moment the domes of light spread over the two, the sky had began to darken about them. The former clouded mid-day sky slowly shifted into dusk, the field encased in a dull grey, and as the clouds set in from above it was impossible to tell them from a clear twilit sky. It was an isolating feel... And though all seven of them stood before the body of their friend it seemed almost as though those two domes separated them from everything as the darkness came over them, even though it was only for a moment. The cliffs 'disappeared', spreading out in distance as cards spun about them in a dizzying motion. Spaces between each person extended somewhat, and soon enough the field began to clear... And as he moved across the screens of cards to form a deck that would help him with the fight on the terrain, he found himself picking cards both from his own deck and that of his friends.

His friends... In the real world, where Malik's other side was still wreaking havoc. Back out there...

"...Three hours," the spirit in his mind muttered this time, when the question of how long it had really been again came to mind. "It's been three hours," he repeated, the blond mentally nodding as he put that information in the back of his mind. Three hours...

Which meant that it was now seven AM at the least, and that he had a little over twelve hours left to leave and deal with Malik. Just over twelve hours to either 'defeat' or simply kill the monster, or else she would die. ...Mai...

Fingers brushed against the 'Harpy Queen', and he swallowed as he realized what card now stood before him. Just hang in there he told himself, tapping the card to add it to his deck with a swallow. He'd get her out soon enough... "I certainly hope so," his stowaway muttered, the blond not bothering to ask why he cared as the dome around him vanished. After all...

That didn't matter right now. "We've picked our cards," Yugi said clearly, sand blowing against them as the domes dissipated. The wind-storm around them seemed to increase in ferocity with those words, the distance between each person growing further and further despite the wind never blowing against them with the force to do so. Even the cliffs in the area had remained however, seeming to grow closer to form an obstacle course of sorts... The perfect battle field for someone other than them. The body before them, now standing a good number of meters away chuckled, opponents narrowing their eyes. "We're ready to fight... As for our deckmasters," he continued, clothes altering even as his hair blew wildly to mark the switch between personas, "I choose the Dark Magician."

"An' I'm pickin' th' Flame Swordsman," his friend added, cloak regaining the same flamed appearance as before while the other Yugi's own clothes became both skin-tight and 'lengthened' in appearance to mimic that of his monsters. "So who we fightin' first?"

The teen across from them again chuckled, somewhat faded vest replacing with fine-blue scales as a suit of similar texture appeared over him. Eyes shifted and coated themselves in red, not a single pupil or iris visible on the sclera. "Oshita," Yugi hissed, shifting the grip on his weapon with a swallow as he unfolded the device for the three blades to shimmer in the light. "Be sure not to attack this one when he has two or more monsters," he whispered, his partner nodding in response.

"Got y'," he responded, taking a step back as he prepared his staff for the fight. Red eyes were facing them now as Oshita as well took a fighting stance, a pair of harpoons seemingly latched to his wrists by means of a pair of 'cannons'. 'Be careful,' the others were shouting, each of those behind them looking for where their own opponents would strike from, 'What ever you do,' they continued loudly, 'Don't lose... We're counting on you!' Briefly Katsuya looked back, giving the others a thumbs up as he smirked. 'Don't lose'... As if he would! "Hehehe... Don' worry," he called out, the others briefly turning their attentions to the blond. "You'll have yer body back in jus' a bit Honda!"

"AHH! Th-Thank you-aru!" The dog gave a cheerful yelp from where it stood, mouth managing to keep closed despite the volume of his voice. "Do your best-aru! And try not to hurt my body-aru!"

Er... That one would be a little hard but... The blond nodded nonetheless, before a snort from the side caught his attention. "Heh! You lot are far too confident for your own good," Oshita chuckled, crossing his arms as a sneer came over his face. "We haven't even begun yet!"

"Then why not start now," 'asked' Yugi, narrowing his eyes as their opponent grinned. There was no further response to the comment, but as a sudden 'crack' passed through the air Katsuya had to frown. A rumbling noise was moving through the air, slowly growing louder as the earth as well began to shake. Sand was bouncing off the ground, along with pebbles... Even he was bouncing off the ground he realized with a swallow, looking toward his opponent with wide eyes.

"Er... Yugi," the blond said with a swallow, his friend as well paling as the source made itself clear. "I think it has," he continued somewhat loudly, before a geyser rose up in the far distance to cement the theory in place. "Hell I think it started a while ago! YUGI, RUN," he roared, turning tail as the torrent of water towered to block the sun and moon before crushing forward. The sound of water pounded out their shouts, moving forward from the edges of the desert as he continued to scream. "RUN! RU- BLRRRRBBGGGHHHH!"

"GLHHHHH-"

"Y-RF!"

Water threw the group far down the 'field', those behind them flying even further as they clattered against the sides of a cliff with all the force of a bullet. Briefly he found himself blacked out, spinning through the waters until his panicked form realized he could still breath. Looking back over his shoulder he could see the others, their faded forms clambering onto an immense plateau. His hearing however, was not as good as his sight beneath the waters... And as he looked back, he could only hope that they did alright, while praying that the now extinguished cloak he lacked didn't affect his fighting. As it was, Oshita's move was quite obviously not finished, with the teen hovering and swimming in place as his opponent identified the first portion of it. "Tch... 'Umi'," he muttered, voice echoed and garbled amid the waters as he and his partner floated next to each other. "There's no way in hell we c'n fight properly in this," he continued bitterly, "Not 'till we hit th' bottom in any case..."

Yugi nodded, narrowing his eyes as he looked toward the fish-warrior. "Not us, that's for sure... But he'll be right at home in here," the boy muttered, before their opponent cut him off with a shout.

"Summon the Legendary Fisherman," he announced, the harpoons on his arms seeming to shift and change as he took aim with one of them. "'Weapon' mode," he finished, blackened tattoos shining over the worn spear head. W-Weapon form..? "HAH!"

Without warning the harpoon was launched toward him, the blond's hand of cards coming to mind in an instant as he threw his staff forward. "Gh- Alligat'r Sword," he announced in panic, the monster literally blasting from the staff's top to block the harpoon with his spear while his summoner dove down toward the sea floor, "D'fense mode!"

"Gazelle," his partner added with a similar shout as the second harpoon was fired, spear piercing through the seas with remarkable ease. "Also defense!" As the boy was blown back somewhat by the force of the attack a spirit-like mist formed before him, a growling lion barely visible from the form. The lion snarled, the roar passing through the seas as its master floated toward the ground, before it shifted into an encompassing mist about the boy. "Ah... This..."

"Must be b'cause it can' breath down here," Katsuya muttered, looking to the mist as his Alligator swam above him. "This shouldn' be a problem though..! I took down th's combo b'fore when I fought Kajiki, an' I can do it again," he snarled, landing with a slight 'thump' on the ground. Sand misted through the waters as Yugi did the same, the boy having folded his somewhat useless boomerang for the moment. The waters around them were remarkably clear to say the least though; as the sand 'blew' in the current to sink to the ground he could watch as their opponent retracted the harpoons by means of the cannons themselves, before turning to his friend. "...Eh..." The blond stared at him a moment, before narrowing his eyes in confusion as Yugi also stared. "Dude... You wearin' goggles..?"

The boy blinked, a pair of goggles indeed positioned on his face as he nodded. "Erm. Yes. I didn't expect to be able to see," he admitted, pushing them up before looking toward their opponent with again clear eyes. Chuckling was filling the air... But rather than blue and green scales, the one floating above them now was dressed in jet black dress pants and a matching waist coat, adjusting his tie before pulling out a sleek and modern looking hand gun. A switch, he realized.

Their opponent had switched while they were talking. "Hnhnhnhnhn... My turn," the teen sneered, a smirk on his face as rumbling echoed from above to shake even the waters around them. "That girl of yours... She's feisty," the teen chuckled, the others tensing as 'Otaki' revealed himself to the pair. "I can't wait to take her as my own..!"

"Gh... Otaki..!" 'Take her'? Did... What did he mean, her body!

"What's wrong with this man," Yugi muttered with a somewhat nauseated tone, going a little green as their opponent continued to cackle.

A sneer of seemingly impossible proportions came over his face, the teen pointing his weapons forward and pulling back the safety as he prepared to attack. "HN! What's wrong with 'you' more like! It's my turn... FROST BULLET," he announced, a shot of ice in the shape of an almost penguin-like torpedo blasting forward as Katsuya ducked. A water trail was visible in the wake of the bullet, the blond barely catching the bullet off the side of his staff as he clipped it off track before looking back to the 'penguin'. "Heh... And while that happens," he continued with a laugh, holding out the second weapon to aim at Yugi as the boy tensed, "Legendary Fisherman attacks..!"

As the next gun fired a ghost seemed to appear around the bullet, resembling a larger form of the very torpedo that had almost struck him down. Yugi's defense 'monster' swirled before the bullet in a violent whirlpool to banish it from sight, a howling cry echoing from far behind them as mad laughter and explosions followed. "GH..."

"Somethin' bad's goin' on up there..." Katsuya swallowed nervously, the voice of his opponent pulling him back to attention as he stiffened.

"Hehehehehe... Of course," Otaki continued darkly, the boys looking back up as sands arose below him, "I'm not done... I summon the Catapult Turtle in defense mode," he announced, gesturing below him from the calm and hovering stance he held. From the sands below rose the great steel monster, mouth dropping open to release a croaking roar as bubbles escaped from its cracks. "End turn!"

Hn! And of course, between Otaki's water power up and the effect of Umi... "We gotta do somethin' abou' this card," Katsuya hissed, his friend nodding in agreement as they looked toward the turtle. "F'r now though," he continued at a louder tone, silently assuring himself of the advantage in using the cards of his friends, "Another monster... Th' Harpy Queen," he announced loudly, sand and water seemingly shooting up from behind him as a screech tore through the air. "In addition," he continued, unable to see where the feathered woman had appeared, "I'm switchin' th' Alligator Sword t' attack mode, an settin' a card," the blond shouted, looking to his friend whilst the sheet of glass came to his side. "Now... Your turn Yugi!"

"Got it," he responded, hand outstretched as a white and ethereal mist rose up from the sands at his feet. "I summon the Holy Elf in defense mode," he called out, the mist seemingly swirling into a ring, "End my turn!"

"Hn! Is that all you can do," Otaki laughed, professional appearance ruined by the expression on his face. The obnoxious laughter continued, both opponents tensing as they prepared to set their plan into motion. "Well! Then I'll attack again," he announced, kicking off in the water as he swung his weapon forward to grin. "ATTACK THE ELF," Otaki roared, "FROST BULLE-"

"Kunai with chain," Katsuya roared, sending his staff forward as the glass before him shattered in response to the shout. The chain and blade spun forward in an instant, the blond narrowing his eyes as it closed on their target. "Hn! You guys wanna fight... Try not f'rgettin' that I'm yer opponen' too!"

"You-" Otaki's words were cut short as the blade connected, chain swirling to pull his arms close and lock them into place. "G-GYAAAAAAAAHHHG!" The penguin inspired fighter howled as the blade dug into his stomach beneath the chain's force, blood seeping out and mixing through the water as the blond below him winced. Sorry Honda... But this... "GH... You... You would actually harm the body of your friend," the monster hissed, kicking in the waters as he looked to his opponent, "You would do this to the people you so care about?"

"Well," his stowaway muttered, Katsuya finishing for him with narrowed eyes as he looked to the teen calmly, "This ain' Honda's real body... Is it?"

As the teen's gold and orange eyes widened, chain wrapping even tighter around his body Katsuya pulled the chain taught, forcing anther scream and wave of blood as their victim choked and snarled. "GH! Fine," he spat, breathing laboredly as blood escaped from his now punctured lungs. "I set a monster and end my turn," he snarled, sheet of glass hovering at his side. "Now... YOUR MOVE!"

---

As the waters blew them back, it was somewhat difficult to really feel everything around them. The pressuring waters stung fiercely, but all the same numbed any sensations of true pain until the moment they struck the stone cliffs at the side. And when those cliffs were hit... Well, they were hit hard, that was for certain she thought as the stone pounded against her back. "GH!"

"Rerf," came a yelping cry, followed by the mutterings of the lone human male of the group.

"Kh... Shit..."

As the group pulled themselves above the waters with coughs the seas continued to rage, Shizuka looking back as she pulled herself up the cliff by her spear. The water was clouded at the surface, with the vicious winds and storms not helping to clear it at all. She couldn't see beyond the first two feet let alone to the bottom, leaving her with no way to tell how her brother was doing. Even so she told herself, looking back with a nervous swallow as she and the others steadied themselves, that probably wasn't the problem right now. In fact, had it not been for the fact that one of them happened to climb in just the right direction, nothing would have mattered. "Ohhhh fuck," Otogi hissed, a blast fired from the first of their four opponents as they scattered across the plateau to cover each possible escape angle. "RUN FOR IT!"

"Righ- Gh!" Burns scattered across her side as clouds of dust filled the air, Daimon's 'WILDFIRE' attack blazing through the sky as the girl tripped over a nearby rock. Stones blew up against her face, scratching her arms and cheek as the cuts became covered in ash. Hngg... "GHAH-hh!"

"Aorf..! Shizuka," Honda called out from the side, the puppy having somehow managed to get himself cornered by Oka just seconds after fleeing from the flaming strike. "Are you alright-aru? I-"

A second rumble hit the air as a gavel swung down on the ground, Honda yelping as he narrowly dodged the strike. "Watch yourself," the judgeman roared, swinging his gavel toward the dog once more as it leaped out of the way to snarl.

"Tch- ASSAULT MODE-ARU," Honda's 'robotic' side announced, his opponent momentarily freezing as the dog's mouth opened to reveal flailing filaments and a bright light at the end of a small speaker. "ENERGY SHOT-ARU!"

"En- Tch! REBOUND," the demon countered, weapon glowing with power as he skipped back to increase the distance between himself and his opponent. As though simply playing ping-pong the giant swung his mallet forward, smacking the fired blast back to the puppy as the dog jumped in surprise.

"E-Ehh! Gh- ENERGY SHOT-ARU," the dog shouted again, wires catching the blast as it returned before sending it back with as much power as had been lost. "Take that, you oversized oni!"

"Rebound," his opponent responded, narrowing his white eyes as the puppy continued to bark and snarl before him. "HN! You really have turned into a dog haven't you," he 'asked', a nasty smirk on his face. "Barking the way you are..."

Honda merely growled, tendrils again catching the sphere of electricity to send it back."HN! Energy shot-Aru! And no thanks to you Aru! A-Aourf..? ...AHHH!"

Oka chuckled as the dog began to panic about his uncontrolled verbal tick, swinging his mallet once again as the puppy wailed. "Hn! Rebound!"

"AHHROUF! I didn't notice this before-ARU! Energy shot-aru," he added, firing the blast back yet again at the last moment as he jumped across the ground to wail. "...AHHHHH GODDAMN IT-ARU!"

"Rebound," the Judgeman once again countered, all amusement having vanished with the continued game of 'ping-pon'. "STOP SAYING ARU!"

"THEN GIVE MY BODY BACK-ARU! ...ENERGY-SHOT-ARU!"

"AAAAAUUGGGGHH! REBOUND!"

Shizuka smacked her head in her hand as the two continued to fight before her, only to freeze as a shadow hovered over her, patiently waiting for her to notice her impending doom. "Ah... ...Uh oh," she muttered with a whisper, turning to scramble to her feet as the Psycho Shocker loomed over head. Otogi was busy, Anzu was busy...

Of course she got this one. "Hn! Thunder Shot," he announced, opponent barely avoiding the attack as she skipped away backwards.

H-Haahhh... The sparking energy scorched the ground where she stood moments before, spear hurriedly brought before her as she countered the attack. "Hng... STONE CHARGE," she announced, before paling as a mirror-like sheet of glass appeared in the magic's path.

"REFLECT!" Refle-

"HNG-GK!" A sudden stony sensation came over the woman, eyes wide with terror as she was struck by her own spell. Legs locked into place, her spear clattering to the ground as her jaw as well locked shut. Petrified... She was... "H-Hnng... Ngggh..!" Petrified completely thanks to her own power..!

Daimon chuckled as the girl struggled to move, unable to even open her mouth as the monster approached with all the patience of the winning opponent. "Hnhnhnhnhn... One down," he said with a sneering tone, "And three to g-"

"GRAAAAAAOOOO!"

"Wh-What-!"

A snarling roar cracked through the air, and with a start the Psycho Shocker was knocked off balance. Daimon scarcely kept his footing on the stone cliff as a one horned lion sprang to the womans' defense from literally nowhere. A thundering roar sounded yet again through the air, and as the lion snarled at its new opponent a maddening cackle could be heard from behind her, far into her blind spot. If she could just move...

Stone chipped off her body with those thoughts. As Daimon was momentarily distracted by what was seemingly an invincible lion the girl chanced a look back, eyes widening as she witnessed her friend rising into the air with a grin far unlike any she'd seen. A wide and sadistic grin, teeth bared in a mix of excitement and rage both. "A-Anzu-cha-"

"HAHAHAHAHAAA!" The woman's eyes were wide and gold in colour, her partner's size unbelievably huge in appearance as its voice mirrored her own. "ASTRAPE," she roared through the maniacal cackles, the penguin she faced below gaining a panicked look on his face as he tore back from the snarling and electricity coated cobra at the woman's disposal. "Try and make that kind of move on me will you," the woman snarled with a laugh, staff gripped in white knuckled hands. "GO TO HELL AND DIE YOU PERVERTED PENGUIN!"

It wasn't surprising how many fights paused at those words and laughs. "A-ANZU," Honda shouted from the side, his opponent pausing in shock just long enough to give a loud 'OW, DAMN IT,' as one of the rebunded attacks connected. "A- ...MALIK! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO HER-ARU," he snarled, mouth wide and growls drowned out completely by the laughter above.

Cackling continued to fill through the air as those on the field stared in shock, the penguin giving loud and panicked shouts as it ran from the train-sized serpent. "Switch out," he roared to seemingly nothing, "Switch out switch out switch out!" In a shimmer of light the monster did just that, Ren swirling and coiling above the spot he'd vanished as he waited for the second monster to take its place.

"Tch..." A blue and green scaled warrior took the penguins place with a scowl, spear in hand as he shook his head. "Really! Just what is it that had that moron so-"

"Hnhnhnhnhn..."

As Oshita turned to look at the sparking monster in the air, there were no words to be said really. Just a scream as Ren's grin grew wider than anything she had ever seen in any nightmare, and as the serpent licked its lips Shizuka was quite certain she would never quite hear such a common phrase the same way ever again. "ITADAKIMASU..."

"Gh- GHRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" As the snake tossed the fish-man into the air electricity danced over its form, frying the monster into naught but well cooked scales as Ren widened his mouth. The monster easily swallowed the creature's paralyzed form, and as those others on the field turned the serpent's partner grinned and turned her own gaze toward all those before her.

"Hehehehe... Who's next," she asked threateningly, a loud and inhuman cry coming from the side as Shizuka's attention was pulled back to her own 'battle', the lion that had come to her aid giving a loud and agonized cry as it was captured by its opponent.

"A-AH! G-Gazelle," she cried, watching as the lion's head was blown into pieces by Daimon's hand.

The Psycho Shocker snorted, blood streaming from between his fingers along with bits of brain matter and bone. "Hn..! It looks as though Otaki has proven himself slightly useful," the monster spat, throwing the corpse to the side as it scattered into pixels above the ocean. "But this has taken too long... Time to deal with YOU," he shouted, the metal disks in his hands charging with power as Shizuka grit her teeth.

"Gh..." Shoot... If she couldn't attack this thing with magic, she'd need to get close... And if she was hit by a single spell at that range then-

The monster across from her continued to approach, before an inhuman screech came through the air, followed by teal feathers and golden claws. "KEEEEEERRR!"

The woman blinked, eyes widening as yet another monster appeared, this time having sprung from the seas below in a spiral of sand and foam. "You're KIDDING me," her opponent roared, before being rather unceremoniously thrown back by the scantily clad harpy that appeared in the air. "GH- Of all the things," he snarled, reaching forward only to miss his shot at the harpy-lady. A... Another monster..?

"Over here," a peaceful voice whispered, Shizuka looking to the side and staring as a young elven woman held out a hand. The holy elf she realized, calm eyes staring to her as the blue-tinged hand was held out in wait. "Come this way..."

"R-Right," she whispered as she took the grip, running off behind the woman to another area of the field as Daimon continued to fire at the incredibly agile bird.

"SCREEEEEE!"

"Hold STILL you pathetic little BITCH," he snarled, quite clearly loosing his patience with the woman. "Hold STILL!"

Hopefully the bird did just the opposite she thought to herself, following her saviour around the various craters and fallen rocks that already littered the ground. "Hah... Hah... Gh... Ah..."

"Hurry," the elf told her, guiding her to a corner of rock, "Over here..."

Over there? "But what's over- AH!" The woman jumped back in shock as bullets blasted across the ground before her, eyes wide as a red blur charged ahead of them. The wind was knocked from her lungs just a split second later as the 'blur' grabbed her arm, pulling her off in a panic as she choked. "O-OTOGI-HAN!"

"Don't talk, just run," he cried, charging about the field as Ota's Robotic Knight continued to fire its barrage toward them. The multiple bullets broke through surrounding stone with ease, entire cliffs falling and crumbling in the gatling gun's wake as Shizuka swallowed. "We don't have lifepoints to rely on this time around," her friend was shouting, eyes wide, "We need to get as far from this thing as possible!

Gh-! Shizuka stumbled along behind the teen, bullets scattering behind them as she glanced back. As she recalled, knives, bullets, and even magic had little effect, but... "Ah... Then how are we supposed to fight him," she shouted, continuing to run before Otogi's arm forced her to skid to a halt. "Gh-"

A bit of stone crumbled off the side of the cliff they'd come to, the section of rock they stood on towering above the rest and looming over a dark section of water. "Hng..! I really wish Anzu's attack worked on this thing," Otogi muttered with a swallow, turning back as the robot chasing them arose into the air. "I might not feel to comfortable about what the attack is, but at least it works..."

The girl silently agreed as their opponent hovered above them, enormous shadow blanketing them in darkness as they stared up. "Nowhere left to run now," Ota chuckled, clicking the gun on his arm as another series of bullets were loaded for the attack. "Any last words..?"

"Gh... You... I hope Nihan sends you right where you belong," the girl spat in response, opponent's lens eyes 'narrowing' in mirth. "I hope you go to HELL!"

"OH- Shizuka... That-"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... BARRAGE!"

"TURMA," a calming voice announced as Ota's own attack echoed through the air, the two teens staring with wide eyes as a shield of light appeared to bounce the bullets off and back at their opponent.

"Gh- AGGGH!" The gunfire halted immediately, Ota stumbling back to claw at his face as a few of his bullets embedded themselves in his eyes, an incredible amount already fired and making their mark as the Holy Elf smiled from below. "Damn it... DAMN IT..! My EYES," he roared, pulling at the riveted mask that had formerly shielded them, "MY EYES!"

The shield before them began to fade, both teens trading glances before bolting down the cliff lest their opponent find another way to locate them. "Hah... Hah... You go that way, I'll go this way," Otogi shouted, Shizuka nodding in response as they split up. "Now!"

"Right..!" The woman darted behind a stone cliff, looking to the side to watch as Otogi charged toward a far off and clouded area of the field. It looked as though Otogi would be attacking the 'Judgeman' in a moment... And as for her own opponent... A whip smacked at the ground before her as she stepped around the stone, the woman jumping in shock as a familiar penguin chuckled before her. "G-GH... You!"

"That's right," Otaki chuckled, pulling his whip taught with a grin before holding out a flipper. "Care to dance, Hime-chan..?"

Her only response as the waters around the plateau receded to reveal dry land and arid cliffs was to spin her spear in one hand, before pointing it forward with a determined nod. Psycho Shocker was one thing... But she was going to take this thing out no matter what! "Bring it on! 'Fire Wheel!'"

---

"HARPIES FEATHER DUSTER," Katsuya announced seconds before the events on the plateau had settled into their individual battles, the blond pointing his staff forward as his Harpie left her fight on the stone cliffs to dive forward with a screech. Winds blew fiercely from the air, and despite all impossibility the oceans themselves were blown back by the woman's wing power, those floating in the water plummeting to the ground against the blast. "HAH! Say good bye t' yer ocean," he snarled, before charging forward with a grin. "Th' Harpy Queen attacks th' Fisherman!"

As Katsuya attempted to find his way up one of the nearby cliffs their opponent cringed, already having just barely come to land on a nearby cliff with the absence of the water. "Gh- Shit," he shouted, his opponents both watching as the harpy launched forward and clawed at the 'teen's face, the monster still bound against himself by chains and blades. Guns eventually clattered to the ground from his hands to vanish into dust, and as he continued to struggle against the constant slashing of his opponent he screamed. "HNNGGG... HGGAAAAAAAAHHH! GHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"An' I ain't done yet," he continued with a roar, standing at the top of a cliff on the side as he watched their opponent struggle. It was disturbing to watch his friend's body under this pain... But even so he told himself, it was for that same friend's own good! "Alligator Sword attacks th' face down monster," he announced, the gator in question leaping forward to throw his blade at the glass.

"W-Wait," Yugi shouted, eyes wide as he looked from where he himself had been moving to a more strategic position. "Jonouchi," he called out, glass shattering in Otaki's face as even the harpy paused to stare, "That's-"

"Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn..." Blood splattered to the ground as Otaki laughed, the boys both freezing as the teen tilted his head forward. "Whoops," he chuckled, bloodied teeth revealed in full as he grinned. "Looks like you made a mistake... Magician of Faith's effect activates," he spat, turning to look at the blond at the side with narrowed eyes and struggling to his feet. "Allowing me to take one spell card back from my grave... So... You can just wait until the next turn to reap your mistakes now," he sneered, eyes bloodied and shredded along with a majority of his face despite still apparently being fully aware.

The blond tensed, freezing on the cliffs he'd been running along to reach their opponent. Gh... SHIT! Flip effects... He hadn't even considered..! "Damn it," he cursed, gritting his teeth. "I got ahead 'f myself..."

"Don't worry about it," Yugi called over from the side, narrowing his eyes and fingering the boomerang in his hands. "I've got a plan..."

Ah? He did..? "A plan," their opponent laughed, cackling as he threw his head back from where the chains bound and held him to the cliff at his knees. "Please..! You're both mere children," he spat, shaking his head and continuing to howl with laughter. "You couldn't hope to win... I'm far superior to you, something you'll find out in just moments!"

Yugi merely snorted, shaking his head whilst their opponent turned to the sound of his voice. "Is that so," he muttered darkly, snapping his fingers as the menu appeared before each of the duelists' eyes regardless of health. "Well then... You won't mind if I do this. Watch... CARD DESTRUCTION," he announced, each player watching as their hands cleared out before refreshing completely with new cards from their decks. "Hn! It looks as though your monster was sacrificed for nothing Otaki... Unless that look of horror you just revealed means something else," he added, the teen bowing his head as blood continued to pour from his form.

"G... Hng..."

"A-Ahh... SWEET," Katsuya shouted loudly, resuming his charge as he sent a thumbs up and a wink to his partner. "Good one Yugi!"

The boy merely smirked, sending a look to his friend and nodding. "Indeed; but we're not done yet!" That was right! "I summon Kuriboh to my defense," he shouted, before unfolding his boomerang and pushing off the cliff to the opponent's body below, "And now... I ATTACK!"

"An' so do I," the blond responded, jumping off his own rock only to pale as wounds across the body's face repaired. "GH-!"

"SWITCH," a smirking voice announced, the chains around Otaki shattering as a blinding light came from their opponent. The black two-piece suit faded from existence, replaced with layer after layer of woolen fabric as the replacement stood to adjust his glasses. "Hn... I activate my ability," the replacement announced with a sneer, enormous missile-launcher aimed toward the 'meet' point of his opponents as he stood back on the somewhat large cliff. "DEATH SENTENCE..."

Shit not this again. "Oh FUCK," Katsuya shouted, grabbing Yugi by the back of his armor and pushing back and down the cliff as the weapon fired.

"GH- What-!"

As the missile connected with the ground both boys were blown back against stone cliffs and ground, smoke and dust filling the air as Oka laughed. Stones from the attack's final location collapsed to the ground, sending clouds of sand into the sky amid the laughter and coughs. "Hnhnhnhnhn... HAHAHAHA! Your fields are now cleared," their opponent laughed, before flipping his weapon back over his shoulder to leer down at them from above. "And to continue with my turn," he added, both Yugi and Katsuya wincing as they slowly pulled themselves up off the ground and squinted through the air, "I summon this! The Hysteric Angel!" The angel..?

"Crap," Katsuya muttered, looking around for another cliff and grabbing at his stumbling friend's arm. "Yugi," he shouted, "We gotta hide..!"

"Right," the boy responded, jumping to the side as a loud 'AERO' was released through the air. Wind and dust both slammed against their backs, throwing them forward as stinging pain erupted across their bodies. "GH!"

"Hgah!" The blond skidded across the sand, pulling himself and his partner up to duck behind a rock as chuckling littered the air. "Hah.. .Hah... Hah... Yugi," he said with a swallow, "Get somewhere else so you c'n make yer move... We can' jus' sit in th' same spot, we'll be dead meat..."

Yugi swallowed, narrowing his eyes a moment in response. "I..." He quickly nodded, sheathing his boomerang and putting his goggles on in the face of the synthesized storm. "Got it; be careful Jonouchi."

"'F course!" When wasn't he? The boy quickly vanished into the dust to the side, Katsuya standing up in the meantime to slowly make his way out from the rocks. Alright... He had to let Oka take his turn before setting cards, but that didn't mean he couldn't look for that angel... So... ...What was that sound..?

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." W- Laughing? Katsuya turned to slowly look up, before stiffening as he again ran out of the way from a fired blast of solid wind. "AERO."

"SHIIIIIIIIITT," he cried, blast of sand erupting behind him to cloud the air further as he skidded and slipped across the ground. "SHIT SHIT SHI SHI-"

"SHOCKWAVE," the angel screeched, pointing her fingers forward with a snap. A rumble came through the air as he looked back, eyes widening as it connected with his body. CRAP.

"G-HHAAAAAAAAAH!" The wind threw him off his feet easily as Yugi shouted from where he'd run to, body thrown roughly against the wall. Stones held him in place now... The blond sent a severe look toward his friend as the boy made to move toward him, the look telling Yugi all he needed and might not have wanted to know as he vanished from sight. He wasn't letting him get dragged into this... Not... "Gnn... Hnggg..."

He couldn't move... "I activate Catapult Turtle's effect," came a somewhat faint shout, Katsuya slowly looking upward as he spotted the monster in question from a distance. Oh hey... The turtle... He'd forgotten about- "Sacrificing the Hysteric Angel for another attack!" Wait what.

Another one! The blond's partially closed eyes widened with shock as the sound of a whirring engine came over the air, followed by a screech as a hand coated with 'sharpened' air stabbed into his stomach. "GH- GLACK!" Blood burst out of his throat, a few bits of flames from his renewed cloak catching onto the oxygen covered monster as it fell into ash before his very eyes, ragged breathing meeting the air as he sent a frozen and blindly aimed look to the skies. "GH- GHAHHhhihhhh... Nghhh..." It was still Oka's turn... Still his turn he realized through the wave of pain, eyes quivering as he attempted to bite through it. 'I set a card,' he was saying, the blond sliding down the side of the cliff as he clutched his bleeding left side, 'And in addition,' the teen stated, 'I activate Altar of Mists..." Altar of Mists...

"Add one ritual spell to your hand after three turns," his 'partner' muttered from the back of his mind, the blond merely giving a choked and garbled cough in response. "This could be problematic if you don't pick things up," the ghost whispered, his friend continuing to gasp as he rolled to the ground and continued to bleed. Gh... Tell him something he didn't know, he mentally choked, weakly raising a hand as it came to his turn. This... He had to do something... This...

"Hah... Hngk..!" His... Turn... His turn now he told himself, fingers shaking and falling on themselves as he attempted to hold them straight. "Summon... Th' Rocket Warrior," he rasped, pulling himself up to lean on his staff as the sands arose to do just that. "An'... Usin' my ability," he continued, blood dripping from his mouth, "I give it a thousan' more attack points... Now," he shouted with a slight cry of pain, body shaking as more of its already weakened form was sent into pain. "Hah... Gh- Attack th' turtle!"

With a curt nod the rocket took off, an explosion sounding through the air and sending a ringing white noise through his ears. Sand and metal blew in a wave from the ground, scattering about the field as Katsuya closed his eyes and continued to clutch his wound. "Hn! Activate the trap revenge sacrifice," his opponent countered with a barely audible voice, the blond gritting his teeth and looking up at where their opponent stood with rage filled eyes. Tentacles broke free from the ground at the side he knew, wrapping around his rocket warrior completely despite its summoner being unable to truly see what was happening... And from the sands above a robot was formed in its place, thrusters pushing it from the ground as it took aim with a pair of blasters on its arms. Machine King he realized coldly, eyes widening as adrenalin pumped through his veins. Shit... "Run while you can, 'Jonouchi'... But I'll be taking you out long before I target your friend," the monster's summoner shouted, his target struggling to stand with the severity of his injuries. "So," the judge cackled, adjusting the glasses his armor had graced him with, "Try not to take too long to die... Hnhnhnhnhn..." Ohhh shit he thought to himself, the guns above him glowing with a charge.

OHHHHH SHIT. Gunfire sounded through the air, the blond rolling to the side and stumbling to his feet despite the immense pain it caused. Casings and shells struck the sands as he broke into a run, geysers of dirt filling the air behind him as he attempted to escape. Shit... SHIT... "Shit shit shit SHIT SHIT!" This wasn't good, he told himself, sand spraying behind him as he hurriedly found a rock to duck behind through his pain, "Not good at-"

"I summon Des Volstgalph in attack mode," his friend shouted from a short distance away, a thundering roar shaking the air itself as a shadow appeared over himself and the rock both. Volstgalph... But that didn't have enough power that... It... The blond pulled himself up and over the rock, grimacing as dirt entered his wounds and as stones scraped away at his nerves. That monster... He couldn't do this with that monster he told himself, pulling himself over and onto the cliff before rolling on his front with a grunted cry. He couldn't... Yet he was... "Lastly I set a card, and end my turn," Yugi was saying, standing on the shoulder of the dragon as the beast snarled. That monster...

"GH- YUGI," he protested with a shout, the boy not looking down as Oka seemed to stare with narrowed eyes. "Yugi what're y' doin'," he wailed, "You'll lose like that!" This strategy was way too obvious... He was practically shouting to their opponent that this thing was a trap, this wouldn't work against even the newest of duelists! "Don' mess around damn it..! Y' can'... Don'..." Hell, unless this was another of those bizarre 'I had something hidden there all along' moments this was going to turn out horribly..! "YU-"

Roaring laughter broke from across on the field, the blond looking forward as their opponent's form again shifted. Thick and billowing robes were replaced with tight boots, a black coat covering most of the teen's form as a hat appeared on his head. Electric green eyes, the first to reveal an iris of any sorts stared out to the field, with lines of circuitry scattered across them. "HnhnhnhnHAHAHAHAAA! My turn," Ota chuckled, the anti-tank gun on his back replaced with a revolver in one hand and a mounted gatling gun on the forearm opposite. "And if you think I'll be so moronic as to fall for that trap you have," he chuckled, adjusting his gatling gun idly as he continued on. "Well, you're far denser than I thought!"

Yugi merely said nothing, Katsuya growing pale as a stiff look appeared on his friend's face. That expression... That... This wasn't... "AAUHHHHHH Yugi," he shouted, not caring about how subtle he wasn't for the moment. "This isn'- Th's is... Damn it! OTAAAAA," the blond snarled, pulling himself to his knees with wide eyes, "I'm gonna SLAUGHTER y' when I get th' chance! Glk-!" OW... Ow, don't shout any more...

Ota merely smirked at the futile threats, the 'vest' the others had worn replaced with a long knee-length duster coat as he pointed his machine king forward for battle. "Hn! You should have listened to your friend," he laughed to Yugi, before a short click came through the air as his pistol's safety was removed. "Spell card; HEAVY STORM," he announced, firing the revolver toward the sheet of glass in front of Yugi's face and scattering it into pieces. An image hovered through the air for a moment as the boy appeared to wince, his opponent chuckling in response. "Hn... 'Mirror Force' eh," the teen sneered, Yugi appearing to frown as he nodded.

"Right- had you attacked," the boy explained somewhat plainly, "You'd have destroyed yourself... ...Sorry, Jonouchi," he added, looking toward his friend with a still blank stare. "It seems that this is all I could come up with." What...

Wh-Wh- "Sorry... But this ain't a 'sorry' situation," he whispered from the cliff as he choked, shaking his head. "I mean... Yer monster's abou' t' be-" De... Stroyed... The blond's eyes widened as Yugi held out his hand, winking as his dragon began to glow with an odd energy. As the dragon's eyes gleamed with rage, clawed hands flexing in anticipation. "H-Hang on..." Vorstgalph, 2200 attack points... Gains power whenever...

Whenever a spell was cast. A spell like Heavy Storm, for example. As Yugi continued to hold out his hand the blond could see the Machine King rise up behind them, blue glass eyes shining in some unknown source of light. He could see the dragon whose clawed hand Yugi stood upon turn its head to fire a blast of flames upward, the monster snarling in rage at the attempted strike to its summoner. And more importantly, as he threw his hand upward with a weak and pained grin, he could hear Ota cursing in light of the destruction of his monster.

"Gh- Damn it," he spat, throwing his pistol to the ground and clicking something on his opposite arm into place, "DAMN IT!"

"Hah..." Molten scrap fell to the ground as he leaned back agains the dragon's claw, unable to contain his laughter and cheer despite the fatal pain he felt. "Heh... Yugi! Tha' was g-"

The boy smirked, his dragon taking off into the air as both of them clung to the sides of its claws. "Hold that thought," he said plainly, Katsuya just noticing that his friend's weapon was gone for the moment. "Boomerangs attack twice after all; and when Vorstgalph attacks," he went on, turning to Ota as the teen narrowed his electric and glowing eyes, "500 points of damage are inflicted directly to the player!" As their opponent paled a slight 'buzzing' noise could be heard, the 'attack' Yugi referred to revealing itself in an instant; the triple bladed device cut deep into Ota's left arm as he moved it from his gatling gun, and as he cried in pain the weapon continued to travel until it was gripped tightly in its owners hand.

"GH! You little rats...!" Laughter and cheers were cut short as another series of clicks met the air, gatling gun spinning as its owner cursed. "BARRAGE," he snarled, pointing his weapon forward and firing. "You can all just burn in HELL!" Smoke filled the air as their opponent grinned in rage, only for the expression to fall as a shield of dragon's wings were revealed to the teen. " Gh... Damn it..!"

Volstgalph... The dragon had blocked the attacks, and there wasn't even a scratch..! "H-Hah! HAHA! Tha's great," he choked, before biting his lip as another wave of pain came through him. Yugi stooped down examining the wound in worry as his friend attempted to speak. "Hng... Yugi, th- This..." The blond paled, swallowing as his friend continued to stare in worry while the dots in his mind connected. Yugi had... "Oh man... ...Yugi... You got 'm t' attack you instead 'f me," he whispered, shaking his head with wide eyes. "Tha'... You saved..."

Again Yugi smirked, shaking his head despite the pain his friend was in. "It's nothing," he said calmly, quite clearly just glad to see his friend was alive. "You'd have done the same for me! I have to say though," he chuckled, leaning back on his dragon's claws a moment as the smirk grew. "You're an extremely good actor..." A-Actor! He thought he was- "...I have a feeling that if you hadn't sounded so sincere about no knowing Volstgalph's effect my ploy wouldn't have worked," the boy continued, Katsuya slowly nodding in response. AH- AHA... Of course...

"H-Ha...Hahaaha! W- What," he laughed, grimacing through the pain and continuing on, "Y' think I wouldn' know when yer doin' somethin' like tha'? Really?" Hahaha... HAHAHA- Oh god he'd almost gotten turned into a dog-thing!

Below them Ota had given up on firing his weapon, the gatling gun adjusting itself as he pulled it back to snarl. "Hn! So you've saved yourself for one turn," he growled, narrowing his eyes before adjusting the cap on his head. "That won't save you next time!" Hn...

"Yea... I figur'd," he muttered in response, Volstgalph shifting somewhat as its passengers made their move from its claws. "So I'm settin' a card, an' bringin' out th' Panther Warrior in d'fense mode," he called out with a choke. "An' wi' that in mind," he continued, Yugi summoning his own defense monster as they kicked off the dragon to charge forward despite any and all injuries sustained, "Let's DO THIS!"

"Right! VOLSTGALPH," Yugi roared, kicking off a few nearby cliffs below them before throwing his boomerang forward, "ATTACK!"

And with a roar of flames the standard for the final half of the match was decided.

---

When it came to penguins, one would think that fighting one wouldn't be too difficult. They were hardly agile on land after all, and when it came to running, the creatures had barely enough legs to even walk properly. They had no fingers with which to hold any kind of weapon, and did not look like the sort of animal to be feared as opposed to loved and hugged.

And yet as Shizuka's spear was entangled in Otaki's whip once again, this time proving immobile and caught completely, the woman had to grit her teeth in annoyance. "Gh... You..." This was the third time this happened, and each one ended in the same thing damn it!

"Hehehehehehe.. Feeling stuck," the penguin cackled, eyes narrowed in mirth as a fruitless tug of war began and led into the usual attack. "How about you loosen up? BRINE," he roared, a blast of water shooting from his mouth as Shizuka squealed. AH-

That wasn't the electric- "GYAH-GH!" The water flung her back a few feet, ragged coughs and sputterings escaping her throat as she attempted to spit out the salt water Otaki had launched in her face. "Kh- Blech..!" Auggh... Brackish water... He'd attacked her with brackish-

"And again, with a little twist," she heard, blood draining from her face as she looked up. "... Shock Whip," the penguin coldly stated, his opponent looking up with wide eyes as the sparking weapon tore toward her. Gh... That weapon... Before she was fine, but covered in SALT WATER she'd be-

Shi- "Ohhhh Oooootaaakiiii," a haunting voice called out, low chuckling accompanied by a loud hissing noise.

"Forget about us..?"

Shizuka swallowed in terror as the whip stopped a mere centimetre from her face, the penguin pulling his weapon back to turn to the voice with wide eyes. Towering above him now was the still sparking form of Ren's massive 'Astrape' form, fangs bared and sparking with an electric venom. The form that Shizuka was considering as possibly a larger threat than even the opponents, a form that was now shadowing them both completely. "H-Hihhhh... SHIT," the penguin squawked, running off only to be blocked by a massive sparking tail as Ren laughed.

"HAHAHA! Guess that's a yes," he howled, coiling tightly around the monster as he shocked it into submission. "SAY 'AAAAAAHH!"

"H-HAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" In seconds the serpents coils were wrapped around an ashen and smoking corpse, Ren snapping it within its jaws as Anzu ran over with a just slightly crazed gleam hovering over her look of concern.

"Shizuka," she shouted, an eye of sorts glowing across her brow as she held out a hand. "Shizuka," she repeated, "Are you alright?"

The girl blinked, slowly standing up with a nod as she ignored the outstretched hand. "Y-Yes... Yes I'm fine," Shizuka answered with a choke, "I just..." She swallowed, shaking her head as she looked to her friend. "Well... Are you?"

Anzu stared a moment in confusion, before smirking almost boyishly as she laughed. "HAH! Of course! Never better!" If this was 'never better', what would happen when it was better..? "Now, Ren," she called up, the snake grinning viciously as his fangs dripped a sparking fluid to the ground. "Who's next?"

"Hehehehehe... Well," he called down with a rumble, "I see a pesky cyborg I'd like to deal with..."

His partner nodded, hopping up the coils as her smirk grew. "Then lets go! Shizuka," the woman added, hopping onto her snake's head and looking down at the girl with a wink, "Hang in there alright?"

A-Ahh... ...Really, it was like talking to a completely different person, but- "R-Right! I'll do my best," she shouted up, before a shout cut her following words short.

"HAAAAAHHH what kind of match up is this," a familiar teen cried miserably, bolting toward the snake and Shizuka both with a scream. "This is BULLSHIT!"

The girl blinked, watching in mild shock as Otogi barrelled past her and the others with Honda yelping behind him as they ran. "DAMN IT-ARU," the dog barked, machine gun fire blasting behind them and forcing Shizuka behind a rock for cover, as Anzu's snake darted to the side as well, "We were JUST about to get some damage in-aru!"

Just- Shizuka glanced back from where she'd followed the boys, holding her tongue with narrowed eyes. Oka was here again... But that would mean that he could see again, which was impossible..! "Hn... These guys certainly have a nasty habit of switching out when it benefits them," the teen growled bitterly, flipping over another stone as explosions shook the ground behind him and forced the trio to flee yet again. "Heck," he continued to Honda, Shizuka managing to find a nook in the rocks to hide in, "If Oka had just stayed put one moment longer we'd have gotten that stupid giant before he swapped out!" Another wave of machine fire pounded the air, Anzu long gone as the targets of Oka's rage were left huddling in fear. "Gh... But this isn't good," he muttered, looking around the stone. "Electric attacks and blades don't do anything on this guy..!"

"Not to mention my attacks-aru," the dog added with a nod, before shaking his head with a confused growl. "And just how did this guy find us again!"

"WELL," cackled the robotic Knight, appearing in front of them as the pair skidded to a stop and looked at the enormous machine above them. "It's fairly easy when you have heat sensors as a back up..."

H-Heat... "Heat sensors," Honda exclaimed, smacking his head with a paw. "Why didn't I think of that-aru?"

"Besides the fact that you wouldn't have thought of it when you were human... I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to find out later," his partner said with a fear filled swallow, only to frown as the robot turned to the side. "...Hang on..."

"...He's not firing-aru..."

"I know," Otogi hissed, "Now shut u-"

"...That fool," the mecha hissed, before fading from sight as his opponents stared. "HNP! I'll be right back..." Right back..? But then what-

In a swirl of dust a gavel pounded the ground, Honda and Otogi leaping back in separate directions as the mallet wielding warrior 'Judgeman' appeared before them. "Ha- They switched out again," he shouted, knives gripped tightly in his hands as Honda snarled and fell to the ground.

"You bastards-aru... MY BODY IS NOT A TOY-ARU! GIVE IT BACK! ROUR! ROUF ROUF AOUF!"

The giant merely chuckled, swinging its mallet back on his shoulder to leer at the two 'ants' before it. "Hnhnhnhn... While I agree with your statement," Oka laughed darkly, "I can't say I agree with the reasoning behind it... Now... My turn to attack," he snarled, swinging his hammer down on Otogi only for it to be blocked by the teen. The mallet shook in the giant's hands, eyes widening as he looked down in horror. "GH- WHAT!"

Small craters appeared in the ground beneath his feet from the impact of the block, Otogi wincing as he held the easily car-sized mallet off using naught but his two knives. "H... Heh... Moron," he laughed, a somewhat dark grin appearing on his face as he pushed the mallet away to leap on top of it, "The level system still applies here... And now that I'm a higher level than you," the teen continued in the face of the monster, "It doesn't matter how big you are! And now," he shouted, launching himself forward with the daggers as he ran along the monster's arm. "It's MY turn; RED RAIN!"

In a flash of colour matching the name Otogi struck, Oka seemingly frozen as the teen appeared on the opposite side of him. There was no injury that could be seen. No sinking sensation as his body split in two or simply collapsed, not even a scratch. "H... H... You..." The giant appeared to look himself over in fear, laughter sounding almost unbelieving as he gripped his gavel. "Hahahaha... HAHAHAHA! You MISSED," the monster cackled, turning on his opponent before freezing in shock. "GHK-" Stumbling the demon fell to his knees, gripping his stomach with a shout as blood sprayed from his mouth. "GHAAAK! AAAAAAGGGHHH! Wh... WHAT!"

What indeed... "It's the ability of the 'Red Rain' attack," his opponent explained coldly, standing before the giant as it collapsed in agony. "Rather than attacking from the outside in," the teen explained, eyes dim and detached as he went on, "A single 'dagger' is sent inside the body... And while there," Otogi continued, "It multiples... Until finally," he stated, skin reddening over the giants form as he struggled to move, "After it's filled every empty space it can..."

"G-GHA- GRAH-"

-splt-

"...It can't take any more." A scream cut off just as quick as it started, the monster before them having pulled up with a snarl in an attempt to attack before 'exploding'. A shower of blood and flesh poured to the ground in its wake, and as the teen stared at the bloody mess that Oka's 'judgeman' body had been reduced to Honda shuddered.

"H-Hahhh... Remind me to never piss you off-aru! That's scary as hell," he choked, stepping away from the mess with a quivering body.

Otogi smirked, shaking his head despite the sheer gore that had just occurred before him. "Hn! It's not like this will all transfer to the real world anyways; what do you have to fear?" Honda merely swallowed at that, his friend walking over as Shizuka as well began to step out from her hiding place. "Now... Come on," he continued, smiling lightly. "There's still one more left after all,"he shouted, a bark of agreement coming from the dog beside him as they turned to the center of the field.

"Ah- Right" Honda called out, pushing out from his friend's arm as his head opened wide for attack. "Let's do this, ARU!"

"Only one left now," Ren hissed loudly, the cyborg he'd been fighting finally forced to the center of the field.

"That's right... 'Daimon'," the woman on his head shouted, pointing her staff forward as Shizuka watched with narrowed eyes, "Prepare yourself! ASTRAPE!"

"RED RAIN," Otogi added in as he leaped forward,

"ENERGY-SHOT-ARU!"

Wait... WAIT! "GUYS," Shizuka shouted with a jolt of fear, "WAIT!"

The four froze mid attack as Shizuka's panicked shout came from the side, nothing but smoke and dust filling the air where Daimon's Psycho Shocker had stood moments before. They couldn't see more than a foot before them in the explosion, Daimon's 'hurricane' having attacked the ground rather than his opponents for reasons beyond them. Nonetheless, it was Shizuka who was now the target of confusion. "...Wait," Otogi repeated, eyes wide as he looked back from the center field.

"What do you mean 'wait'," Anzu protested with a frown, "Once we defeat Daimon-"

"Hnhnnhnhn..." The crowd's blood ran cold as a figure appeared in the dust, each of the fighters stepping back with wide eyes as what had been Daimon's 'Psycho Shocker' tripled in height to hover in the air before them. "I believe she said to wait... Because none of your attacks would have any effect..."

"Ohhhh god... One word," Otogi said with a swallow, stepping back as Honda nodded.

"SHIT."

---

Volstgalph's flames were a powerful strike to behold. They formed an attack so booming that the crackling fires blocked out even the sounds behind them after all, shrouding all that lay on the field before them in a blinding haze. As the fires died down however, with Yugi and Katsuya both charging their opponent alongside ghostly forms of their defensive monsters, they found themselves staring and shock and wishing quite horribly that it was possible to move in mid air. "Gh- This-!"

Their opponent had switched. Dead eyes stared up from the face of their friend's body, along with a wicked smirk and a hand-device that was beginning to charge on each palm. "My turn," Daimon hissed, the Psycho Shocker's green leather and latex clothing stretched over his body. "Care to face the 'demon'? HURRICANE!"

"Gh- SHI-" Wind blew both boys back with pained shouts, Yugi skidding along the face of a cliff while his friend clung to an opposite rock, blood spurting from his still open wound as he choked and cried out in pain. "D-Daimon! ..GH... Activate trap," he shouted with a wheezing cough, his opponent's smirk growing even more menacing in appearance as the blond continued. "Drop Off!"

"Negated," the teen hissed, snapping his fingers as he jumped from his cliff toward where the blond hung. Negate- Oh hell... "And since it's my turn," the monster continued to sneer, "I'll play pot of greed and summon this..! Injection Angel Lily! As for you," he snarled, hands held toward his opponent as he cackled, "FIRESTORM!"

Shit, magic..! "GHA-" The blond ducked under the flames as Daimon hovered through the air, only to gape as the blond looked over himself and laughed. As the fires were absorbed into the cloak on his back, his wounds sealing before the levitating cyborg's eyes as Daimon grit his teeth. "Ah... Ahahah... HAHAHAHAHA!" YES! "IDIOT," he snarled through a grin, kicking off the stone to swing his staff toward the teen. "I'm made 'f FIRE! All you've done is screwed yerself over! HAHAHAHA!"

"What-! GH... I activate my effect," the monster shouted as he was beaten back into the ground, choking on his words and rolling to avoid the falling strike from the blond. "Sacrificing 2000 lifepoints to raise Lily's attack by 3000!" Wait three thousand! "LILY," Daimon snarled, pushing his opponent back with a block as Katsuya continued to swing at the man with his staff, "Attack Volsgalph!" Th-Three thousand...

Lily's attack was only four hundred so... "Hnhnhn... Time for your injection," the angel that had appeared above them chuckled, Yugi swallowing as the dragon at his side moved to protect him. The angel's serene smile took a dangerous turn, eyes narrowed to slits as she pointed her hypo forward and cackled. "DUST BOWL!"

From just below the angel a wave of sand blew toward the boy, Katsuya scrambling toward his friends before skidding to a halt as his opponent ran to block his path. "Gh-! You..!"

"Hnhnhnn... He won't be needing you," Daimon chuckled, taking a fighting stance as his opponent did the same. "Activate Sobek's Blessing," the teen announced almost off-handedly, ragged coughs coming from behind as Yugi was left with nothing but a swirling dust storm in the place of his monster. "And in addition," he muttered, pacing before his opponent as the blond narrowed his eyes, "I set one card... So tell me," he sneered, smirk widening as his opponent swallowed. "Just what do you plan to do now..?"

Tch... What would he do..? A card appeared in the back of his mind, and Katsuya smirked. He knew exactly what to do. "How abou' give y' a taste 'f yer own medicine," he spat, the mist around him blowing into the sands behind him as cliffs and stone began to collapse around them. "Tha' thing there's a trap ain't it," Katsuya 'asked', his opponent paling as the scenery began to crumble into another realm entirely, "So how's this! I tribute th' Panther Warrior an' summon my own Psycho Shocker," he snarled, Daimon looking up with wide and milky looking eyes as the cyborg arose behind his opponent from pillars of sand and the dust of his former monster both. "So! N'gate th' trap," he shouted, a laser blasting past him from the tower as he charged his opponent and roared. "NOW!"

"Gh! You think that's all it takes," Daimon snarled, ducking a swipe from the staff and firing a dodged shot of energy as the blond aimed a kick toward the teen. "Lily is still the most powerful monster on this field..! While you fight me," he continued with a grin, "I'll finish you off using her attack against that monster you foolishly summoned!"

Katsuya froze with that, skidding to a stop as his opponent stopped a few meters away to continue chuckling. "GH..." That... That was right, Lily's power would last until it was Daimon's turn again..! "Shit," he hissed, turning to look at his monster as the angel prepared her attack and cackled. "That-"

"Jonouchi," Yugi called out from the side, his position creating a sort of triangle from the trio of duelists as he stood from the hill of sand he'd almost been trapped under. "As I recall," he shouted out as he coughed, "Attack wasn't the only thing that determined a battle's win, correct?" That...

The blond blinked, before his eyes widened with realization in regards to the advice. Only the attack... "AH- Right!" And he had just the thing for that too he realized with a mental laugh, kicking away from another swipe his opponent had made before the grin widened. "Heh... Block attack," he announced, turning to look up at Lily as he pointed his staff toward the angel. "An' while tha' happens," he continued, his opponent freezing to look toward his monster with a shout, "Do yer thing, Psycho Shocker!"

In a blinding beam of light the monster destroyed the woman, the angel having gone from aggressive to fearful in the span of mere seconds. Light seared over the angel's face, causing the monster to glow, brighter and brighter, until finally with a short and cut scream ashes fell to the ground. "AH- DAMN IT," Daimon snarled, clenching his fists ant turning back on his opponent. "You damned scum..!" HAH! Was that the worse he had?

"Your turn Yugi," Katsuya laughed, hurriedly ducking a 'thunder shot' as his angered opponent moved to strike him down again and again for each laugh he let out. "I leave this t' you!"

"Right," the boy announced, his own misted defense monster vanishing to the air as he took his turn. "Sacrifice the Shield Gardna," Yugi began from the cliff's bottom, "To summon the Dark Magician Girl!" As sands rose up beside him, forming the young woman a smirk appeared on his face, the summoner pointing his monster forward with a nod. "Now... ATTACK!

BLACK BURNING," they both cried, the magician sending her attack forward with an echoing cry. Before Daimon could even say a word the attack connected, flames of black and violet 'light' catching onto his body to shroud him from sight. Katsuya distanced himself from the teen as quick as he could whilst the flames continued to burn and spread, shouts of pain coming from within them as the realm collapsed further into. Stone eroded into sand... Sand piled into distant hills and plains, forming the realms of a desert long past...

But over the sounds of crumbling the screams changed, and the more they realized this the more the blood drained from their faces. "Hnhnhnhnhn... HAHAHAHAHA... HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!" Cackling met the air and with a nervous swallow Katsuya glanced over at his partner, the boy exchanging a similar wide-eyed look before turning back with his weapon ready. After all... If it was one thing you learned after a few run ins with this sort of thing, it was this-

Crazed laughter in the place of agonized screams were never a good sign.

---

Before Daimon had been set ablaze and before his 'Angel' had taken down the dragon on the 'duelists' field', had been a fair amount of panic on the high stone plateau far beyond it. Once Ota returned to the field after all, even with his partners each defeated long before, the robot easily dominated the group attack him. "BARRAGE," he roared, Ren tossed back and reduced to his tiny and nigh-useless form when his lightning proved useless in the face of the beast. "METAL SOUND," he continued with a second, new attack, a wave of sharpened wind coming from the rapier he swung toward the others. As the blades scattered through the air those fighting moved similarily, Honda snatched up in Otogi's arm as the teen hurriedly leaped to avoid the attack below him.

"GH- Damn it... How do we take this thing out now," he snarled, the dog in his arms barking similar comments as Shizuka swallowed from behind the rock. Bullets were shattering the stone before them, sending dust into the air and chipping craters into the cliffs. Lighting failed, blades failed, bullets failed... "We can't just do nothing," Otogi was shouting, attempting to dodge the attacks as he bounced off each stone cliff, "We can't-"

"METAL BARRAGE," Ota roared, bringing a blade through the air as a wall of steel met the gazes of all those on the field.

"W- This guy double casts," Ren protested, the combined force of 'Metal Sound' and 'Barrage' both firing down upon them. The bullets pounded the air with the wave of a hand, a pained shriek coming from Anzu as she was clipped in the side during her escape. "G- Anzu," the snake cried, the woman slumped on the ground and looking to her now shredded right side with shaking breaths. "Anzu..!"

"H-HN... HGGGAAAAAAHH... D-Damn it," she cried, looking up at the robot above her as it approached. "Hn... B-BLIZZARD," she screamed through her shuddering breaths, staff pointed upward as the ice blasted forward. "H-HAIL STORM!"

Screams were filling the air... As Anzu's attack connected nothing happened save a slight scratch of paint, the stones continuing to fall from the sides of the cliffs as Ota laughed from the air. There had to be something they could do she thought with a bit lip, slowly climbing her way atop the higher stones behind the opponent. If she used her 'Barrage' it wouldn't do anything, it wasn't powerful enough as normal bullets but-

...'Double Casting'... Ren mentioned double casting she remembered, information on her own 'ability' coming to mind as she took a shuddering breath. "H... Hahhh..." Yes... This would work! Shizuka's eyes narrowed, and with a nervous swallow she rushed further along the cliffs where she'd been hiding behind her opponent. She had an idea... It had to work she told herself as she ran, it just had to..! And as the woman charged shouts were filling the air from the field at the side, with her brother making his own move. The cliffs were dissolving into sand, falling down beneath her feet as she ran before kicking off the last bits of stone to face her opponent in battle. This was it..! "OTA," she roared, the robot halting its fire as the others fell down the collapsing sands, his own form still supported by the thrusters on his feet. The monster turned, and with her spear in hand Shizuka swung forward with a narrowed glare. "Recognize this," she asked, before bringing the blade upward. "DOUBLE CAST... HAILSTONE FUSILADE!"

From the edge of the spear blade blue ice formed, the combined power of Otaki's stolen frost attacks merging with the very barrage she'd taken from the monster before her. In a swift arc she brought the weapon through the air, and with the movement came an endless series of hailstones to blast toward their target in the form of various carved torpedos. "Gh- This- A- AAAH! HAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Hah..." The others stared only momentarily as the monster was thrown back against the collapsing stone and sand, hurriedly regaining their own resolve to attack. "Hn! Red Rain," Otogi added in as he charged the monster, the ice breaking through Ota's prized metal structure to leave him vulnerable to attack. With a swift movement a dagger was dropped into the hull, Otogi pushing off lest he be carried away with the sands himself. Nothing seemed to happen... But within moments the machine was clawing at its own hide, pained screams raging through the air.

"G-GHHAAAA-!"

"Alright-aru... Don't forget about me-ARU ENERGY SHOT," Honda snarled, hopping from the few stones he'd found solace on to fire their opponent further against the collapsing ground. "That'll teach you to take my body-ARU!" Another blast tore through the air, forcing Ota further as the steadily collapsing and eroding ground beneath them continued to prove uneasy ground. Already half of the monster was buried, wires shredded, hull dented and smashed.

The monster however, still wasn't down for the count just yet. And as Shizuka landed to the crumbling sands at the side the robot snarled, taking aim from where it fell. "You bitch," he spat, 'breathing' raggedly as he narrowed his eyes. "You're worse than HER! Hahhh... B... BARRA-"

The gatling gun began to whirr as Ota prepared to attack, only for another shout to cut through the air. "Our turn," Anzu cried, shooting forward on what looked to be a serpent made entirely of water as she held her side. "We aren't through just yet!"

"That's right," her partner roared, cackling almost madly as he swirled above the robot. "How about we find out why computers and water don't mix!

"DELUGE!"

The serpent did not attempt to swallow or suffocate the robot as he had the others, Shizuka noticed as the attack was called out. Instead it appeared to simply burst into nothing but a tidal wave, Anzu diving forward with all the force of a great and powerful tsunami as she struck their opponent down by the 'staff' in her hands. The attacks had all merged, with Ota sputtering and sparking in the aftermath, but even with this there was more, just in case the robot had survived even that.

The sand had continued to collapse through this after all. "H-Hey," Honda yelped in surprise, hopping out from his spot with wide eyes. "I think we're sinking-aru!" Their legs were getting caught in the sands, and in her own case the stone she fell to simply dropped below, Shizuka's eyes wide as her 'seat' began to slowly tumble toward an endless fall through the sands. "Th- We... We've gotta get out of here here-aru!"

"Tell us something we don't know," his partner shouted in response, hurriedly pulling his legs from the sand as he began to sink. "You can fly can't you," Otogi asked, the dog turning. "Well do something!"

"Fl- There's no way I can carry you all-ARU! Are you crazy-aru!"

The teen scowled, fixing his friend with a glare as the dog made his excuses. "Hng... Try it anyways," he shouted, the dog shaking his head.

"I can't-aru! I'm barely the size of your head as it is!"

Well if he didn't try then what did he think would happen! "Ngh... HONDA-HAN," she screamed, the dog yelping as the girl pulled herself up the collapsing hillside. The woman grit her teeth, the robot behind her sinking further and further into the sand as she stood a few feet away. "Hah... D... Do it NOW!"

"A- Got it," the dog hurriedly shouted nervously, nodding in the face of an enraged Shizuka. "No problem!" She didn't know how Honda knew to activate this 'mode' of his. Quite frankly, she didn't really want to know, given how it manifested. But as the appearance of a fleshy and furred head was again replaced with metal she grabbed onto one of the hounds fore-paws in an iron grip, Otogi already gripping the hind ones as panels began to spin in a vicious and beating cycle. "Hold on tight-aru," the dog said with a swallow, expression unable to be determined now that his sensations were restricted to the tendrils from his neck. "If this works-aru, it's going to be a bumpy ride!"

They got it, they got it... "Just GO," Otogi shouted, their legs already beginning to sink again.

"Erf! Alright-aru!"

The whirring sounds of a helicopter started instantly as the dog awkwardly took off, the others pulled out from the sand as they watched it disappear below. Anzu... They had to find Anzu she told herself, soon spotting the woman from atop one of Ota's barely visible fingers. "Hey! Guys," she shouted up, her snake wrapped around her arm as she gestured down. "Down here! Hurry, I don't have much time!"

"Ah-" Not much time indeed; Anzu was literally on the 'edge of her rope', standing atop the middle finger and waving as it began to sink. "Ngh- Grab on," Shizuka called out, holding out her spear with wide eyes. "Hurry!"

Without another word the woman nodded, jumping from the finger to cling on the spear end as they were carried away. "H-Hah... Dang Honda... You can really pull your weight," Ren commented from the woman's head, looking up as a few feelers pointed their way down to stare and respond.

"Aouff! I'll take that as a compliment, snake-boy!"

The serpent blinked, slowly nodding as he pulled back. "Errm... Good for you," he coughed, the tendril continuing to hover before him as he paled. "Just get that tentacle outta my face..."

"Well... After you did all of that crap on the field-aru, I have to make sure you don't do it again," he said rather plainly, Ren tensing in an instant.

"C- What the hell are you talking about," he hissed, a low growl coming from the speaker above.

"Tch- Anzu doesn't ordinarily break into mad cackles-aru! You know damn well what you did-aru!"

As the yelps and barks continued to sound the others stared, Anzu in particular blinking a few times in confusion. "...Wow Honda... You really are sounding more like a dog," she said rather nervously, the puppy's fur bristling in response.

"AH- S-Stop bringing it up-aru, I'm getting selfconcious about this!"

"Well it's true," she muttered, only to wince as the growls continued.

"R-RERF! Seriously-aru! Stop! I'm starting to- Y-YRF!"

With a sudden blast of wind and sand the four were blown off course, yelps a shouts filling the air as they looked to the approaching ground below. "Ah- Quick," Ren shouted, coiling around a clump of his partner's hair. "Jump!" Anzu hurriedly dropped off the spear as the others collapsed and did as told, dropping to the sand with wide eyes. The sky was darkening... It was as though it were the middle of the evening, or the presence of an immense storm that they had somehow missed. However, that was not what caught their attentions, and as they looked out into the distance they paled.

Laughter was filling the air... Storm clouds converging, and as runes appeared across the ground the earth began to shake. "I've been WAITING for this," Daimon was cackling, Honda's body effectively in monopoly thanks to their own actions on the field. "It's been three turns since this spell was played... I add one ritual spell to my hand, and with this," he continued, armor evaporating into nothing but complete shadows of the body's original garb, "WE WILL WIN!"

"W-We," Otogi repeated, eyes wide.

"They're all in there-aru... They're using it at the same time," he snarled, attempting to run forward before being snatched up by Shizuka as the others stared in frozen shock. "BASTARDS! YOU SAID ONE AT A TIME-ARU, KEEP YOUR DAMN PROBLEMS ARU!" Hah... Hah... Keep...

"I think... I think this is one at a time," Anzu muttered with wide eyes, the others swallowing as the ground continued to shake violently. A fissure appeared to separate the ground between them and the field, sand pouring into cracks as the woman swallowed and stepped back from what had almost swallowed her in an instant. "H- Hhh... This... This is..."

"This is going to be hell..."

---

There was only one word to describe this situation really. And though it wasn't only one word, what Otogi had muttered off to the side was close enough to it. No one else was saying those words though. After all, as their opponent stood before the, it was taking all they could not to succumb to the effects of the ritual, all they could not to be blown away by the sand blasting past their forms as their monsters were eroded away into nothing by the razor-like force.

"WE ACTIVATE THE RITUAL SPELL DRAGON'S REVIVAL," shouted the body before them, light bursting in patterns of all kinds around the field as the teen's voice seemed to distort. As runes and inscriptions circled at various points of the field, releasing a tall light as they were connected into a circle and pentacle. "And we offer up the proper tribute! Sacrificing a monster of WATER," they began, the 'Deep Sea Warrior' rising into a pillar of the material in the far distance from that same circle, "Of FIRE," they continued, the Robotic Knight appearing in another ring, this one of flames. "OF WIND, EARTH, and DARKNESS," the twisted voices called, the remaining deckmasters summoned to the five points of the immense star, surrounded by the immense pillars of their elemental choice. "And from their sacrifices, we summon the monster forth," they roared, the body before them beginning to twist and change as cracks filled the air. "The KING of DRAGONS, the GOD OF ALL," they thundered, voice deepening as sands and elements swirled about them in a vicious cyclone. "FIVE GOD DRAGON," the monster before them snarled, bones cracking and rearranging as the body of their friend slowly mutated into the enormous beast. Sleeves were torn, body formed, before sands shielded them from the sight of their friend's body doing anything more than growing oversized wings and clawed arms. The cyclone's light began to dull... From one head on an enormous quadrupedal dragon came four others, the cyclone shattering with a feral and echoing it roar. A blue-scaled one of water, a blazing one of flames... The metal, wind oriented one, along with the mire coloured 'earth' head. And in the center of it all, as the ground cracked and fell apart in massive fissures the head of shadows stood dominant...

Whilte beneath it, head slumped forward as though asleep, they could see their friend's body, his entire form from the waist down and his shoulders on pulled back and merged with the dragon. His eyes were closed, seemingly at peace... His clothes were that of what he'd worn from the game start, the only thing absent being the belt of magazines he had carried with him. But as the five-god dragon stood before them the body continued to speak regardless, mouth moving emotionlessly as the five draconic heads snarled. "HnhnhnhnHAHAHAAA... Witness our TRUE power," the monster sneered, voices echoing through the mouth of their friend with all the sounds of a demonic legion. "With this form we are UNTOUCHABLE! Only LIGHT monsters can attack us, and only those surpassing our power will make it as it is! Of course, with what happened last time," they spat, the five heads hissing and growling to match the emotion, "We'll be setting a card... And as for the rest," they laughed madly, "As we cannot attack this turn, we will give you a chance to prepare for your DEATHS! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!"

Gh... Shit. Five thousand attack points and even then there was only one thing out there that could beat it out right... "God damned bastards..! How th' hell are we s'pposed t' beat this thing now," he hissed, staff held forward in futile defense.

"There's always some way," his friend muttered, biting his lip as he looked to the ground in thought. "...And... As to that way..." He swallowed, looking to his friend with an odd look before continuing on. "There is a card that can defeat this monster; it's a complicated summon, but we have all we need here," the boy explained, slowly nodding his head. "Flame Swordsman, Dark Magician... And this," he continued, a small card misting into his hands. Polyermerization. Those two monsters... A flaming warrior came to mind, in robes of black with a blade of red. A monster made of shadows...

And from their deckmasters. "...A fusion summon with yourselves," his friend hissed incredulously, "Are you completely insane?" Katsuya's eyes widened briefly as he ignored the spirit, mine merely going over what he'd just seen as he swallowed. Fusion..! Then...

...Just in case that couldn't work... "...I set three cards," he shouted, waving his hand forward as three glassy mirrors appeared above the sand to his command. That would make sure nothing too bad happened in the end, but... "Gh... ...Yugi," the blond said quietly, turning to his friend and staring at the polymerization card in his hand. "Th's summon... If it works... What's gonna happen t' us..?"

Those who could hear stared in confusion, narrowing their eyes as the shorter of the pair smiled confidently. "We'll just have to wait and see," he said quietly, still holding the card out for his friend. "As it is," Yugi continued almost plainly, "There's little other choice..." Little choice... It was true they were on their last leg...

But to fuse together..! Katsuya swallowed, looking to the side in unease as snarls echoed from before them 'SURRENDER,' they hissed, thundering roars calling about the sky as lightning cracked. 'Just SURRENDER! Your fighting is FUTILE!' ...This was their only shot, he told himself. He knew that much. "Alrigh'," he said after a moment, taking his friend's hand in his as the polymerization card shattered in their grip. "Le's do this! Le's show these guys they ain't th' only ones who c'n fuse!"

"AH- You guys are going to fuse-aru!"

The crowd at the side balked, looking among themselves as both duelists slowly turned to face their opponents. "But that... You're just a smaller target if you do that," Otogi called out with wide eyes.

"Screw smaller targets," Ren hissed, "What the hell does this guy plus that guy get you anyways!"

The duelists ignored the crowd for the moment, Yugi steadying himself as well as he prepared to make his move, light from the spell already forming around the duo's bodies. "Alright... Let's do this! Activate the spell POLYMERIZATION," he shouted, a sheet of glass shattering behind him with those words, "Fusing the Dark Magician..."

"With th' Flame Swordsman," Katsuya finished, a wide vortex appearing as wind swirled around them and blew sand into a curtain to hide them from sight. "AN' AS A RESULT," he continued over the howling winds, "WE SUMMON..."

Summon...

They... He could feel nothing. And everything. He was there and yet not there, in some strange moment of duality. He was dissolving, that much he could tell, and all he could see was a blinding and colourful light before him, blocking the sands of the desert, blocking the night sky...

And suddenly, it was as though he was in two places at once, body and soul both. In his body he could feel his hair grow shorter, body more slim than muscled as a resulting illusion of added height came into being. The cloak on his back was no longer made of flames, merely black and red and made of leather. He was wearing a pair of boots, a vest, pants even, and rather than a staff in his hands he felt something else beneath his new pair of elbow length gloves. Yet all the same, he wasn't there at all, and he couldn't feel any of this. He was simply 'light', some sort of 'spirit' hovering at the side, glowing as he stared toward his 'two halves'... "This... This is..."

The spirit form of himself seemed to look over his glowing form in confusion as the body examined his hands in silence. Sprouting from the opposite foot as he did his friend seemed to do the same, looking over one hand as those around them seemed to become aware only of the body before them. "...Jonouchi," the voice of the other Yugi called out, a shadowy, black counterpart to the boy staring at him from the other side of the body. "What-"

"Oh well isn't THIS lovely," the ghost in his mind muttered, likely rolling his eyes as his words echoed into Katsuya's thoughts. "It's a double connection!"

"Dou- Jonouchi," the other Yugi protested with a slight and shocked scowl as the body shook itself out, "Who is this?"

"Uhhh..." He coughed, turning away somewhat awkwardly as he laughed. "Hahaha... I'll... Erm, I'll explain later Yugi, I-"

"Jonouchi-kun," the familiar voice that was the 'real' Yugi asked, form unseen despite his obvious presence. "Is that you? ...Wait, how are we connected," he hurriedly added, partner crossing his arms as he gave his answer.

"We fused our deckmasters aibou."

"Fused- But how does that even work," the boy muttered, "I mean, if you're here, then-"

"I don't know about you three," the drawling voice of the 'stowaway spirit' muttered, "But I think we should pay attention to THAT..."

The body looked up with those words, eyes widening as their still solidifying form came to meet with a combined blast of fire, water, mire and wind. Shadows as well they noted, the darkness seeming to serve as a 'center pillar' to the attacks. But that didn't seem to worry them at all they realized, wills and thoughts momentarily merging as they were forced to act. Instead they narrowed their eyes, casting individuality to the side for cooperation as they pushed back into an almost flight-like leap backwards, flipping back in the air to land on their feet a fair distance away on the sand. "Hn! Nice to see you're patient enough to wait for the end of the turn," they growled, the dragon ahead choking on their own words as the teen held his weapons ready. "Nervous are we?"

"W-Wh-What... You two... You actually managed to move..!" Did they really expect anything less?

"Y-YUGI! JONOUCHI!" The body turned to look at the crowd at the side, giving a slight saluting wave despite the severe and blank look across their face. The others seemed to freeze at the gesture, nonetheless continuing with their cheers despite it. "Ah... You guys... Are you alright," Anzu asked with a swallow, stepping back somewhat under the combined red-eyed stare of her two friends. "Do you feel okay..?"

"Jus' fine," they said with a nod, an odd mix of tones, voices and accents both coming through their voice rather than a doubled echo as with the big five. "F'r now though," they continued, "Just sit back... This'll be over in jus' a moment," they roared, spinning the 'deer horn knives' in their hands off a pair of chains on their wrists. "HA! Time t' attack!"

"ATTACK! Gh- You two... Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND," the dragon snarled, the body before it merely charging forward to kick off the ground and throw one of their knives at the beast. "You cannot face US! You aren't even a light type monster," it protested with a snarl, body running up the sides of a nearby hill as it gained momentum. Light...

That's right, they weren't light. "Oii... Yugi, he's got a point," Katsuya muttered with a swallow, the knife they'd thrown digging into the yellowed 'earthen' head at the side after the bladed chain and wire wrapped about the base of its neck. "If we're a weaker power'd dark monster, how 're we s'pposed t' do this?"

Yugi merely smiled, the shadowed spirit charging forward with their body as it pulled on the chain to swing toward the snarling dragon's body. "Don't worry," he said confidently, the body ducking under blows of wind and mud both as they landed on the monster's back and climbed upward to the shoulders and necks. "There's a plan here... We'll make it through..." A plan... Well...

If he said so. He certainly felt just as confident as his friend once those words came, which was interesting given the paranoia he had moments before... "HN! Interesting doesn't even cut it Chabar! Your minds are merged," the ghost snarled, Katsuya frowning as he pondered the words.

"Merged..?"

"...Chabar," the other Yugi asked as well, their body momentarily hiding behind the mire head as flames and water came from the earthen target's 'back up' force, "What is..."

"Hn! Look it up," the ghost spat, Katsuya sighing in response as he was pulled back to the conversation.

"Jus' ignore 'm," the blond muttered, shaking his head. "He gets pretty testy..."

His friend seemed to pause, nodding slowly as he stared to his friend. "...I... I see... AH- ...Gh!" With a jolt they were back in the body, kicking off from the mire head with knives in hand as a blast of flames seared the monster's neck with burns. Inflamed cuts oozed with mud and grime, and as they pulled at the chain that had looped its neck the acidic sludge continued to pour from the wound, catching fire with twisted ease whilst the other dragon's watery head served only to further irritate the slice.

"GHH... GHHAAAAACK... THIS..." The earthen head gave strangled roars, their friend's own mouth and throat voicing the cries as his body seemed to suffocate on mere air. "THIS... THIS ISN'T..."

The duo's body smirked as it dodged a physical blow from the metal head on the side, flipping back onto the ravaged neck before pulling his chains taught and free. Blades cut completely through the earth-based beast, and as it fell they jumped off the severed neck with ease. "HEH! You forget," they shouted clearly, "The reason you need light to fight the Dragon is because that's the only element not making up the beast... Which means," they continued, chains wrapping about the watery head's open mouth to take control of it in an almost 'reign-like' manner, "That as long as I turn your other heads against themselves, I can take you out even before I get that 'light monster! NOW WATCH," the body roared, pulling tight on the chains and forcing the dragon's open mouth to blast toward the flaming one on their side, "AS YOU DESTROY YOURSELVES!"

"Wh- H-HAHA! ALRIGHT-ARU," Honda barked from the side, hopping on the sand with intermittent yelps. "GOOD THINKING!"

"Hah! If you keep that up there'll only be one head to deal with," Shizuka continued, Otogi drawing his knives with a nod.

"And if we help out..."

Water hosed the fire head down with ease, and with a mighty snap the dragon's maw was dislocated and left hanging limp on useless muscles. One of the chains were retracted, blade pulled from deep inside the water-dragon's now bleeding throat... And as the metal neck snapped forward in an attempt to bite at the teen the second was embedded in its steel jaw, the body falling back to the ground to pull both chains taught as the two captured heads stiffened and struggled in the teen's oddly tight grip. "GH- T-This... What are you doing," the dragon muttered in shock, only three of the five voices remaining for the moment. "This is... What are you DOING?"

It was obvious wasn't it? But first. "Don't interfere with this battle," they said flatly, looking toward their friends in the corner of their eye as they froze.

"Wh- DON'T help," Otogi shouted, nonetheless remaining in his hands regardless. "But you don't have a light type monster on hand," he protested, "You'll kill yourselves-"

"We have it covered," they responded, slight confusion and doubt coming from the ghost in Katsuya's mind before instantly being squashed by the sensation of complete assurance from his partner. "Don't worry about us... If anything," they snarled, pulling tight at the chains as the dragons gave out an agonized roar, "Hope that Honda's body is alright after this!"

"My bo- AHH! WHAT DO YOU MEAN-ARU!"

There was no answer as the two dragon's heads were snapped from the body, the only thing attaching them now being scales of metal and shagreen both while the dragon was forced to its stomach. Gripping the chains tight in their hands the body ran forward to hop onto the monster, the necks before it forming a crossed bridge of sorts as they jumped to the middle point. With one step the knives were removed from the necks, chains retracting as they shredded the insides of the now defeated heads. With a second they leaped off the mid-point of the dragon's necks, eyes narrowed in determination as they looked forward at the final target. "Daimon," they announced, the shadowed head reeling back to charge a blast of the very element creating it, "This is it!"

"HN! I couldn't agree more... But it certainly isn't MY end! NYCTO," he roared, the black flames blasting forward to set the body on fire as it fruitlessly brought its arms up in a block, "Let the 'night' take you to hell itself!"

Gh... This was it... "Yer plan... I really hope it works," he shouted with a grimace, the body blasted back into an arc as it seemed to almost flip backward in the air in a ball of black and violet flames. "Cause if it doesn'..." And if they died... "GH... Nghh..."

"GHHAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Just hold on," his friend called out through the pain of the flames, body's screams rising in volume before fading out as they fell through the air. "It'll only last a moment... Hold on, this is it..!" This was it... This... This was...

Darkness met his vision, and his feeling vanished. Endless darkness in his sight and around his body, and for a moment he was himself again. He was standing in nothing but an empty black space, unable to see even himself amid the blankness. And then, the sensation of duality again returned... And as he looked over his body, the form landing to its feet in a burst of light and sand on the field, his eyes briefly widened. "Ah... AHH! I'm short," he wailed, spirit-form gripping his head as the body curiously looked himself over.

Yugi frowned somewhat, the body still largely hidden from view by the sand and flames scattered from the attack. "HN! Really- Just because I haven't reached five feet yet..."

"Are you even going to," snorted the 'stowaway ghost', both Yugi's growling in response.

"That- Hey! How do you even know how tall we are," the original Yugi snarled, his other seeming to tense and nod in response.

"AH- That's right," he shouted, eyes narrowed, "Just who exactly are you!"

"Errr... Focus on th' battle," Katsuya offered awkwardly, the others 'turning' despite two of the three not truly being present.

A small bit of silence resulted, before the other Yugi grit his teeth and nodded. "Right... Let's go," he muttered, before the body was again within their control and smirking wickedly.

"Time to 'duel'..."

The smoke and sands cleared as the crowd stared, jaws dropping as the impossible met their vision. Katsuya was right; the body was shorter now, about Yugi's own height rather than the 5'8'' of his friend. His hair, however, was still his own length; an interesting effect actually, given its attempts to mimic that of Yugi's usually shorter and gravity defiant style, not to mention the tan and eyes that came from neither form. That however wasn't the point, and as he gripped the flat of the gold, saw-blade like disk they'd received in one hand the competitive smirk on his face grew even further. "Im... IMPOSSIBLE," Daimon roared, the dragon rearing back in shock as its single shadowed head stared at the boy. "HOW! You should have died!"

Chuckling came through the air, eyes shining with the light so recognized from that of the 'light' Yugi and Katsuya both. "Hehehe... Yea... In fact, we did die," they shouted up with a grin, shrugging somewhat as they continued to laugh. "But when the Dark Flare Knight is destroyed," they continued seriously, "Two things happen; one, no damage is taken from the battle... And two," they announced, pulling the discus back and charging toward the monster with a triumphant shout, "The Mirage Knight is summoned in its place!"

"But... But even as a Light monster you're still less powerful," the monster snarled desperately, two limp and severed necks dragging uselessly as it backed away. Well...

"You would think," the boy shouted loudly, jumping forward to push off of the very set card the dragon had placed in a sheet of glass before him, "But you're wrong..! Because We have our own ability," they chorused, the blade in their hand glowing with power as they pulled it back, "And when we attack, we gain the power of our opponent! SO DAIMON," they roared, throwing the weapon forward in a flash of light as the body itself was thrown back in the force. "HERE'S TO THE END! FROM DARK TO LIGHT... HELIOS!"

The attack from the blade was blinding, just as its namesake the 'sun'. In a single cut the dragon was split in two, shadows filling the air as their body landed and skidded back on the ground, torrents of sand and air blowing past them as the monster screamed and as glass shattered. An odd feeling came over him... Splitting, separating...

And as the body cut in two, misting into two halves, each of the boys found themselves taking a rasping and shocked breath in reaction to the sudden return of their own forms and functioning selves. "Hhaaahh! Hah... Ah... Hah... T... T-Tha'..." Katsuya choked, turning to the side as Yugi looked toward him with a similar expression.

"That feeling," he muttered, looking over his hand and staring at the blond. "...I..."

The rest of their words were left unsaid, a single look being all that was needed in light of the strange sensation on the air. The feeling of intense unity and cooperation beyond natural human means... The complete 'fusion', the joint movements their minds had taken without a second thought... The two looked forward, still breathing raggedly as the light slowly cleared. Any second now, he told himself, waiting for it to fade to black. Any moment, and the duel would...

"Oh HELL no," Katsuya roared, a sudden flash of a card's information coming to mind as the earlier shattered trap was activated.

"Deal with the Dark Ruler," his partner hissed, tensing and drawing back as cackling came over the air around them.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... We aren't through just yet," a maddening mixture of tones hissed, single body walking forward as they paled. It was Honda's body, that was true... But all the same it wasn't, and simply couldn't in any way have been their friend. Skin had closed tight over the body, tinged blue with necrosis as smoke and ash seeped from his mouth. Hair had taken a greyed tone and mixed with the colours of poison, and from empty sockets came a shadowed and inhuman glow as the body slumped and walked forward. 'Oh my god,' others behind them were whispering. 'Oh my god he looks DEAD!' 'I... Is that... My body,' Honda was muttering with a whine, the opponents to the approaching being growing white with dread as a black cloak flapped almost like wings on the body's back. No... Far worse... "As you can see," the teen rasped, "I activated my trap... When a level eight or higher monster on my side of the field is destroyed," the Big 5 explained with a chuckle, "I can summon forth the Berserk Dragon in its place..."

Berserk dragon... Katsuya grit his teeth, watching as the sand beneath the teen's feet seemed to blacken and harden into cold rock with each step. The very air around their opponent smelled dead, reeked of decay... And as the monstrous form of their 'friend' began to charge a blast of flames it his mouth, head snapping back to take aim he could hear Yugi's panicked shout from the side. 'I cast the spell Magical Hats,' he announced, complete and utter darkness settling in over the blond as the hats filled the field, Katsuya swallowing in unease while the boy continued. 'In addition,' he was saying, 'I pay 1000 lifepoints to spread its effects to my partner! End turn!' Eight hats... They were covered with eight hats, leaving only a 2 in 8 shot of hitting them. To his sides he could see six lights to correspond with those hats, along with the stiff and battle ready form of his friend and yet...

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Then, let us share with you OUR ability," their opponent sneered, a shudder passing through the air as one of the hats was destroyed and the light furthest from the boys extinguished. "Because while you hide in a series of four 'hats'... We can attack FOUR TIMES PER TURN!" FOUR! Oh hell...

"You're fucking kidding me," he hissed, falling back in his hat as angry protests sounded from behind, a rush of flames passing over the second hat in Yugi's row. This... If they could attack all four hats at once... 'There's a 100% chance someone will die,' he could hear someone shout, Katsuya's own eyes wide as he attempted to think of a plan. 'It's hopeless..! Hopeless..!' This...

No it wasn't. "...You're going to do something stupid aren't you," the ghost in his mind grumbled, a nervous smirk coming over Katsuya's face. Heh...

He knew him! "It ain't 100 percent if I do this righ'," he 'asked', before the expression fell. And just how was he going to do this he asked himself, the sounds of another hat's destruction coming through the air. He knew he had to do something but how... How... The third hat had been destroyed... And with wide eyes he swallowed, turning toward where his friend stood as the next blast was fired. No other choice..! "Act'vate Silver Dollar," he shouted, jumping through the hat as the trap was formed in reaction to his next words, "An' take th' attack!"

Suddenly, he could hear clearly again. "HAT NUMBER FOUR," the big 5 were snarling, the body's mouth not moving with his words. "DIE, MUTOU YUGI!"

He could feel everything again... And yet the moment he escaped the hat, his vision was filled with flames. His body felt weightless, formless, and it seemed his legs were only half there as the final hat was destroyed. And on the field the flames in his own vision filled Yugi's as well... But for completely different reasons as the smoke cleared in his wake to reveal the flaming spectre shielding him. "J... Jonouchi," he whispered, his friend saying nothing as he absorbed the Berserker's flames. "You..."

"Jonouchi," the others whispered from the side, staring in shock as flames evaporated from his form and into the air.

"Nihan..."

"J-Jonouchi..."

He realized only then that he hadn't opened his eyes really. There were shouts... "Impossible... IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, HOW!" For a moment, he didn't answer, focusing on the mere act of blinking as he found himself staring upward. As he merely looked down to stare over himself, hovering in the air in flames and nothing but flames as his legs melted out of sight. Fire... He was, quite literally, a giant flame, a burning figure and shade hovering before his friends like some great glowing wall. Nothing but fire...

Well- he supposed that would make this easier then. The blond smirked, fires whirling around his friend as he rose somewhat in the air with crossed arms. "Hehehehehe... Miss th' trap I activated," he 'asked' with a smirk, the almost mummified being before them gritting their yellowed and sharpened dragons teeth as they scowled. "'Silver Dollar'! Negates an attack against any monsters weaker th'n 1000 points... An' thanks t' earlier," he continued, waving a flamed staff with his hand as he explained, "Tha' works f'r me too... ...Yugi," the blond added with a wink, looking down with a two fingered salute as the boy stared. "We're ev'n now, got it? Hehehehe..."

"J-Jonouchi... I..." Come on... So he was a giant glowing ghost, this wouldn't be too bad right?

"Gh- You little... GH- Kach!" the body before them shuddered, gripping their stomach as blood spurted from their mouth. "Gh... Hah... Hah..."

The others turned forward again, eyebrows raising in disgusted surprise. "H-Hey... What's going on with my body-aru?"

"You mean more than that," Ren asked bluntly, the serpent's eyes wide as his partner stared.

"Well considering they haven't done anything... How could that be happening..?"

The boys on the field stared, Yugi narrowing his eyes. "This... What's going on," he asked them, the body looking up with eye-less, glowing sockets and growling in agitation.

"Tch... Our time is limited," they spat, slowly pulling themselves back up to a slouched fighting stance as they walked. "Hahn... Each turn... Our attack diminishes by 500 points... Hnnngh..." It went down...

So then, from the thirty-five hundred they had... A grin slowly appeared on Katsuya's face, the blond chuckling as the flames he was made of leaped in anticipation. "Oooh... So you only have 3000 attack now nyh..? Hehehehe... HnhnHEHEHE... Yugi," he shouted, looking down as the boy returned the stare, his own expression quite blank compared to his partner's wicked grin. "Y' think you c'n handle th's next plan 'f mine?"

His friend narrowed his eyes somewhat at that, as though attempting to guess at what the blond was talking about. Within just a moment however his eyes widened in realization, and as he nodded Katsuya's leg-less form seemed to encompass the air above his friend in a blanket of flames. "I'm ready, Jonouchi," he said clearly, the blond nodding as he held his arms out. "Go for it!"

"Alrigh' then! ACT'VATE TH' SPELL KNIGHT'S TITLE," he announced, the final panel of glass on the side shattering as the boy before it was coated in a blinding light of sorts. "TURNIN' TH' DARK MAGICIAN... IN'T TH' DARK MAGICIAN KNIGHT! YUGI," he roared, fires melting into the boy's shadow as his friends armor altered and shifted into the robes of the monk class, "I'M GIVIN' Y' ALL MY POWER NOW... IT'S UP T' YOU!"

"Thank you," the boy said in response, his opponent frozen in the presence of the sudden upgrade. "Jonouchi," he continued, split black cloak flapping in the wind as he gripped the sharpened disks he received in place of his boomerang. "I couldn't have done this without you! NOW THEN!" He charged, the teen before them hurriedly bringing up a pair of dusted revolvers in defense as Yugi struck with the first blade, "WE WIN! RUNIC STRIKE," he roared, bringing his second blade down onto the opponent's pistols to break through both them and the body holding them. The body stumbled backward under the blow as the blade severed his throat and cut at his chest, ragged coughs filling the air. The deckmaster began to fade... The body repaired itself and healed, and as it fell to its knees Yugi and the flaming form of his friend watched from just a few feet or so away. The sky had cleared, and once again there was a dull sun shining above them... But even with that they were left in a barren wasteland, a destroyed ruin with no proof of their existence save their friends and the ruined truck at the side. "...'Big 5'," Yugi snarled, eyes narrowed as his own outfit reverted to that of the original 'ranger' he'd picked. "We won... Now, return the body," he demanded, shouts of elation and demand both echoing behind them as the others ran over.

"RrrrrrraOUR! That's right aru," Honda yelped, skidding to a slight stop at the boy's side. "Fork it over!"

"There's no arguin' now," the blond above them all added with a sneer, arms crossed from his position in mid-air as he continued to flame.

For a moment the body merely sat there, slumped on his knees in what looked to be shame. In an instant however black eyes looked up, the possessed teen stepping back to spit at the ground before their feet. "The day we give up this body," they sneered, shadow stretching and splitting into five as the body took a fighting stance, "Will be a cold day in HELL! HRAAAAAHHH!"

As the shadows charged Kastuya grit his teeth, darting forward with a snarl. He'd need legs for this, he told himself, cutting the flaming staff through the darkness with a shout before charging the body. Fires would do nothing, he needed a body. And in a split second that demand was answered, a swift round house delivering a solid blow to Honda's human face as he re-materialized from the flames to land on the ground. "HN! Bastards... Y' jus' can't stay down can y'," he growled, the teen that had been sent back merely wiping a bit of blood from his jaw as he snarled.

"Gh... You'd be surprised, the determination of a dead man," they spat, only for their face to drain of colour.

"No... I don't think they would," an additional voice muttered, the crowd below freezing as Noa's voice echoed through the air. Noa... He wasn't anywhere to be seen and yet they knew he was there, somehow, watching... "How sad," the boy sneered, the Big 5 looking over 'their' body in horror as it suddenly began to crumble to dust before their very eyes. "After all these chances you still turn your backs... I'm done with you," he spat, the body giving slight and panicked screams as the dust in its throat prevented it from increasing in volume to a wail of terror. "Leave here..."

"Hah... H-Haaah... No," they whispered, shaking their head as they fell to their knees, legs nothing but mounds of dust and sand as their palms collapsed on themselves with their eyes. "No... N-" With a final terrified cry the body crumbled forward, nothing but a pile of whitish sand remaining in its place before the horrified crowd. They were gone... Gone...

"They... He took the body," Anzu whispered, shaking her head as still wide eyes looked at the field. "We won, but they..."

"Gh... Damn it...! Even when we win we don' win," Katsuya cursed, kicking at the sand with a scowl as he turned back.

"Rouuu-rrrrrrrn... N-Not fair-aru... Am I seriously going to be stuck here," Honda whined, before giving a surprised bark as Shizuka picked him up from behind.

"Don't worry Honda-han," she said with a sad smile, scratching behind the puppy's ear as he 'melted' somewhat. "We'll definitely get it back... Right," she added, the puppy seeming to give a comforted growl in her arms as the group nodded.

"Definitely," Otogi said with a determined stare, looking toward the now cracked and 'cliff' ridden road. "As it is," he continued with a swallow, "There's only one way to go now..."

"After Kaiba," Ren muttered, the others swallowing as they stared.

"Right..." Yugi again switched places with his opposite half, hair neatening out to a slight extent as the boy sheathed his blade and looked forward. "In that case," he continued, running over to the truck at the side to attempt to set it right, "Let's not waste time..!"

"Good plan," his friend responded, running forward with his staff in hand. "An' while we're at it, le's find th' creep who got 's in th's mess!"

---

The 'creep' as it were, would not likely be found by those looking for him despite all wishes at the moment, regardless of how far the others travelled and regardless of how detailed the map on their current transport was. His location after all, was beyond even the limits of 'out of range', not even truly existing within the realm of the virtual world. He was simply in another area...

As was that of the boy beside him, who was standing at that moment in mostly white clothing in contrast to the black garb he'd worn prior. Mokuba's eyes felt heavy, in all honesty. It felt almost as though he were desperately fighting off sleep, as though he were wandering half-awake in a crazed dream. But this wasn't a dream either he told himself whenever that thought should occur. It was real, very real, and for now, it would be best to watch as his big brother Noa berated his employees.

If they could even be called that. Painful memories were tied to these people, memories that in his desire to forget them Noa had done just that. All he saw of the five before him was a haze... And a man with white hair, with an eye of gold. There was no more pain in his memories save a slight burn that told him not to dig further, and it was that slight burn that kept him from touching the very things he'd asked to be locked away. "Noa-sama," the men were rasping, on their knees from the fall they'd collapsed to in the darkness. "Noa-sama," they pleaded, "We-"

"Hnnnn... How pathetic these losers are, are they not," Noa asked, Mokuba nodding in agreement. He wasn't sure why of course, but doubtless that anyone who cringed on the ground like this matched his brother's description. The nod was more than enough for his brother as well, and the light haired boy turned back to his victims with a cruel smirk as they cowered at his feet. "Really... Scum like this doesn't even deserve to live..."

The men before them paled, drawing back with wide eyes in the face of their 'disappointed' employer. "H-Hahh... N-Noa-sama," Oshita cried, the old man shaking his head. "Please! We beg you, grant us one more chance! Just one more!"

"One more? You've wasted your chances," the boy snarled, silencing the men with the wave of a hand as they clamped their mouth shut. "Did you honestly think you could escape? That you would even WIN," he laughed, the ones before him paling in realization with those words. "NOTHING is real here," he sneered, turning to leave with his brother as a menacing grin came on his face. "Not even my words to you..."

"Not... Noa... NOA," the men roared, charging forward, realizing only now how much they'd been toyed with. "YOU PATHETIC LITTLE BRAT-" Sounds cut short before vanishing into a mist and leaving nothing behind, the men abruptly turning into naught but echoes on the air as they were reduced to the data they had arrived as.

"Hn! Kisara and Seraph can deal with you five," Noa muttered, a silent breeze seeming to pass through the realm in response. "I'm sure they'll find a way to efficiently scatter those pesky 'permanent files' of yourselves that remain. For now... We have a show to watch, don't we," he said cheerfully, turning to Mokuba as the boy frowned. Something was bugging him... 'Little', they'd said.

The men had said... 'Little' when talking about his 'big' brother. "...Niichan," he said almost blandly, his brother's smile faltering as the boy's eyes drifted downward somewhat. "You're my 'big brother', right," he asked, the smile hurriedly replaced.

"Of course..! Of course I am," Noa said quickly, "How could you ask such a thing?"

How could he? That was a good question... But as Noa placed two hands on his shoulders, before moving to his side to guide him away, he remembered why, even as the burn in his mind re-appeared. "...Niichan... If you're my big brother," he asked quietly...

---

"...Then why am I taller than you?"

Noa grew pale when he heard those words, smile dropping in what was dully recognized as fear. Taller... Mokuba was taller than him by a full two inches, how had he possibly missed that the boy asked himself with a swallow, attempting to clear the data running in his mind. Well... He hadn't even missed it he reminded himself, he'd simply worked around it, worked around everything that made Mokuba the brother he was, to preserve as much as possible...

He was paying for it now. And badly at that. Taller... He couldn't alter this boy's memories, no matter how easy it was to do, it would ruin everything otherwise! Yet looking into the minds of those in the realm, and the mind of the one before him, he sought to find a solution. Something, anything...

And then it struck him. He... He was only short because of the body he held, because of the 'age' he appeared to be. The form that he had held since his death, since his funeral, down to his 'last clothes' he'd been buried in. The white suit that he'd refused to trade for a 'kimono' after that day. Why though... Why did he bother with such a thing, with such an attachment to his body? He hadn't even done it for humanity's sake, otherwise he'd have aged. So then was it in a stubborn will to live, or was it in a frightened attempt to hold on.

Well, none of that really mattered right, so why fight age now? He was supposed to be an adult now, 21 going on 22, able to drink, live on his own, drive... Anything he wanted, and no one could argue. He wasn't a 'boy'. He was a young man, and with all his knowledge why not accept that. Yes... As these thoughts came to mind he smirked, calculations running through his mind, through his former body's genetic code, through timing and growth... And as he did this his body began to shift, changing from out of his 'brother's sight. Clothes became more adult like to match a growing body, neatly combed hair just slightly changing in style as he came to a full two feet beyond his former height. Facial features sharpened... Muscles toned, eyes narrowed to fit the face, and as Mokuba looked back the now young man leaned over to whisper comfortably in the boy's ear, a hand on his 'brother's shoulder. "Now Mokuba," he said quietly, the boy staring in silence as the seemingly familiar voice continued. "Since when was I shorter than you," he asked carefully.

"Ah..." The boy stared, narrowing his eyes. "I... But you..."

"I've always looked like this," he 'reminded' the boy, slowly taking his hand in his own with a smile. "Remember..? Always..."

Silence came over the boy, and slowly Mokuba nodded with a slight smile. "Right... Always," he repeated, his 'brother' standing up to lead him away.

"Good... Now, shall we go see your sister," he asked, the boy at his side freezing.

"...Sister..?" Noa held silent for a moment, simply continuing to guide his 'brother' through the dark of a subway station as Mokuba looked up in confusion. "...I don't have a sister, niichan. You're mistaken..."

"Yes... Of course I am," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I was thinking of our cousin; he looks enough like a girl doesn't he," the man continued, his 'brother' nodding in agreement despite not knowing of the 'cousin' Noa spoke of. "Yes..." No sisters... And as the pair appeared in the car of a train, invisible to all those that could possibly reach that location, Noa smirked wickedly.

'I WIN...'

---

AN: Well that's not a happy ending Usagi! The battle was supposed to end and have everyone cheer, not Noa be a creeper!

Seriously though, Adult!Noa's pretty damn hot. *hehehehehe*

Back to more serious things, there's no reference for him this chapter; I had three pictures to colour you know! I might have one next chapter though... In all honesty, I have a few to do this, as the next duel is the longest in the series counting the fact that the same life-point streams are used the entire time. By 'longest' of course, I mean in terms of episode count. To put it in perspective, the 'Ceremonial Battle', which is pretty much the most important duel in the series, takes four episodes counting all the stuff that happens around it. ('Stuff' not including the Millennium World of course)

From start to finish, Noa's match is three for Kaiba, and THREE MORE for Yugi. His battle takes SIX EPISODES. Seriously WHAT.

Noa's just a game breaker like that I suppose... Hell, he was the first to hit 10,000 lifepoints too! Of course, you never know about the length of the match; duels pass quickly here, especially in fight-form, as fight scenes happen... Well, they happen fast, just look above. I extended some of those scenes. And can you imagine the length if I hadn't had the others fighting as well? Their scenes take up just under half the chapter!

In fact, the next chapter doesn't even have any dueling; it's completely meant to build into the start of Noa VS Kaiba, and you know that fight isn't going to cram into one chapter. I can promise you that NoaVSKaiba is in one chapter while VSYugi is in another though.

In other news, a recent review from later chapters mentioned the song 'Happy Honey Day (By Luka)'... Playing right during the Valentines day chapter. For those who don't know, while the song would quite obviously not describe anything Seto said out loud/revealed through actions, the song is about a woman who can't bring herself to properly thank someone she likes... So she makes him a valentines chocolate.

Yea. I see you grinning there.

There was another song (Remote Control; Len and Rin) but that has little to do with Valentines business really. (A very addictive song though.)

Now, as mentioned, there's some art for you below... And all coloured too! So enjoy it while it lasts!

As for everything else...

Anonymous Review Responses

Oh lord yes Iona! And it gets worse! …WHY AM I SUCH A PRICK IONA? WHYYYYYY…

You're quite right on the implications, but much like everything else people want to ask him, it'll be momentarily forgotten in the excitement… And then solved through a method that would be far less than preferable. (And then solved again in the best 'punishment' from Mokuba ever.)

Yea. Noa's mom. Um. Not much I can say myself… A part of me wonders if it's a bad thing that the first thing that came to mind for how to deal with the woman was 'Let's have her shoot herself.' Ehhhhh… Of course, this all happened after his death; Noa's rebuilt the scene quite accurately though, thanks to a combination of access to really old security logs, his father's phone, and a nasty amount of skill in calculation.

If he wasn't a jerk, he'd make a damn good criminal investigator you know. Glad you like that I mentioned the wife though; I always wondered where she went…

And hahaha! At least you aren't sympathizing with Ota, like I am. Seriously; I'm still going 'AHHHH I KILLED A DA- Wait, I made him a dad…'… Constantly… In my head. Oh well.

As for what happens next, we'll just have to wait and see! I'll be seeing you next chater, and until then, enjoy!

---

Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner

The section that wants it to stop snowing without warning. And then melting away before work would have started. AFTER. IT WAS. CANCELLED. (-cough-)

---

'Ryuuseigun' means 'Meteoric Swarm'. Given the load of attacks and things in this chapter (Not to mention Shizuka's first double cast...), it suits this chapter rather well I would think.

It's also the name of a mash-up song on Nico Nico, but shhhhhhhh.

---

In the original, there was lots of obvious exposition and comments on 'wait, Legendary Fisherman needs a sacrifice!' yadda yadda yadda.

However, in this case, all that info is in their heads. So they already know that Umi lowers the level of all water monsters, allowing Legendary Fisherman an easy summon to the field. It also means that when Yugi says 'there's one way', Jonouchi already knows he means to fuse the deckmasters... So rather than hesitation in the face of doubt, it's hesitation in the face of fear.

Because seriously, no one knew what would happen when they fused!

---

Astrape is greek for Lightening; I used it here because not only were Thunder and Lightning taken for Anzu's other attacks, but because this is the word that spawned the term for the phobia of lightening; Astraphobia.

And of course, in 'Pokemon' terms, the penguin (Water and flying hehehe) is not enjoying that.

---

'Itadakimasu' (The 'u' isn't normally pronounced though) is a common phrase used before eating a meal. Specifically, a meal someone went out of their way to cook for you; you're not going to see too many people doing this at most restaurants, particularly not fast food ones, or booths! It means, quite literally, 'I will receive', and the only reason Ren is using it is because both he and Anzu are speaking at once; in other words, while Ren 'controls' (He's not really controlling so much as putting the woman's emotions on high) the emotional reaction to things, Anzu is picking the words.

Granted, she picks the words based on how she feels, which is Ren's fault, BUUUUUUT...

---

And yes Anzu just flipped out; she's got Malik to help of course, but lets just say that Penguin tried a few too many things with the whip.

EEEEEEEEEEEEhhhhh… Either way, VERY disconcerting, and she's about to get cornered and confused about it...

Of course, Shizuka's not actually going to say much on the matter, Honda's already been shouting about this, and Otogi's more likely to be shrugged off with that in mind but hey.

---

'Turma' is from one of Tolkein's Elvish languages. Specifically, it's Quenderin for 'Shield'.

And yes I'm a nerd. Now hush.

---

How did Jonouchi miss Volstgalph's effect if these things are linked to his head? Well, he'd have caught it ordinarily, but due to the speed of this duel, Yugi and Jou are effectively taking their turns at the same time…

So while Yugi was summoning, he was a little busy being in pain, shortly after which he was very busy with running from the Machine King.

---

In the anime, something… Strange happened. See, certain monsters started out in the series without effects. So for the first bit, Jonouchi's Panther Warrior could attack whenever.

And then it was suddenly given an effect after being made a real card; now, you need to tribute a monster to attack with it. ...And Jonouchi mentioned that in this episode. UM. Wasn't he attacking with it perfectly fine about twenty episodes ago!

---

Originally, there was obviously lots of dialogue from the peanut gallery… But they're a liiiiiittle busy right now.

Of course, thanks to how I set this up, there's no way they're missing the AWESOME that is the fight against the Five God Dragon... (Though since that was ONE MOVE, there's still not much to say. We'll pretend that they're IN AWE.)

---

The dust bowl, or the 'dirty thirties' was not a happy time for the prairies. Needless to say. You can probably guess, but it involved the depression era, a drought, and lots of sand storms.

---

Is it just me, or did a bunch of rules just change? I'm pretty sure Lily's attack bonus doesn't transfer to the next person's turn after all...

---

Some of you may wonder why 'light' is in quotes for Black Burning. That's because 'black' is the absence of light. So it's not technically light. WHOOPS.

LEEEEEEGIONNNN. That was a horde of demons in the bible that possessed one man… (And were banished to a horde of pigs) He's fairly well known now for pretty much any horde of possessors now, hence 'We are Legion for we are MANY'… In pretty much every other demon story these days.

Of course, originally it was Daimon they were fighting… But this makes more sense somehow.

---

'Shagreen' is 'shark skin', and though it applies to a few other types of un-tanned skin, it still specifically refers to shark skin leather. …This is what the water head is covered with, at least in my head.

---

Hey this is embarrassing! So when I go to the YGO Wiki, the heights are listed in centimetres; because really, most of the world uses metric anyways. However, I'm still accustomed to measuring height in feet… And for a while, when hovering over things like centimetre heights, the mouse would reveal what it was in feet, and I would happily skip away with that.

BUT IT WAS WRONG.

So, here's another chart!

Jonouchi - 178cm - 5'8'' 3/4… Close to nine inches actually, but not as much as Honda.

Honda - 180cm - 5'8'' 3/4… But he's REALLY close to 5'9'', to the point he mind as well be.

Bakura - 176cm - 5'7'' 1/2

Anzu - 165cm - 5'2''

Yugi - 153cm - 5'0'' (Note that Fanfic Yugi isn't quite there yet.)

Otogi - 179cm - 5'8''' 1/2

Mokuba - 142cm - 4'8''; Technically he's '55.9' inches (So four feet, 7 inches... And 11/12ths of another inch)… But seriously, close enough.

Seto - 186cm - 6'1''… Honestly though, I've been using 6'2'' enough that Fanfic Seto will still be 6'2''.

Malik - 180cm - In other words, he's exactly Honda's height.

Ishizu - 167cm - 5'5'' 3/4

Mai - 175cm - 5'8'' and… 3/4 actually. Then again, she's still three centimetres shorter than Jou… And one shorter than Bakura.

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Nycto is Greek for Night… Helios, on the other hand, was the Greek personification of the Sun, and one of Egypt's Ancient Capitals was known to the Greeks as 'Heliopolis'.

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Monk? But it's a knight! Yes, but Jonouchi's deckmaster ability works on the basis of warriors and class; as the 'Knight's Title' effectively changes Yugi's class, it makes it one that matches Jou's.

Also, Yugi's wielding a pair of wind and fire wheels right now, and they're both based on the symbol of Isis, which is a sun disk with cow horns. I figured that since she's also known as the protector of the dead, it works out for Yami Yugi there.

As for the other weapons, the Mirage Knight had the equivalent of a GIANT GOLDEN SAWBLADE, whereas the Dark Flare Knight had a pair of 'Deer Horn Knives'... They look kinda like two metal deer antlers connected by a handle.

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AAAAHH! ADULT NOA!

As a matter of fact, he's the exact legal age of adulthood in Japan. Niiice. As for how tall he is, well… He was 4'6'', which, as mentioned, is two inches shorter than Mokuba. Now?

SIX FUCKING SIX. He's taller than Kaiba by FOUR INCHES! This also makes him taller than Siegfried. Though Sieg's height is never officially given, he'll be 6'4''. So he's two inches taller than Kaiba, but really, that's not too much of an issue for anyone.

Well, Jou might have an issue, but whatever.

Where I got this height is actually from experience and question-asking. Germans are taller than Americans/Canadians; in fact, someone at six two would fit in quite well there depending on where you walked around (In certain places, you'll still be a bit tall as a warning...), hence Sieg's own height being just two inches higher… All in all though, don't let written averages fool you or convince you; they could be wrong you know. (Apparently the Netherlands in particular is bad at keeping their height records, hahahaha.)

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FanArt and My Art Section

Remove spaces, past links, hey presto, you got a picture!

I need to find a set way to draw Yugi's head. I keep switching between round and... Not round really. I'll be sticking with 'round-ish' I think; it's more childlike, and lets face it, teen-Yugi looks... Child-like. Who knows about adulthood... Maybe he sharpens..? Idunno...

Any ways, enjoy your deckmasters, and I'll have more sketches for you in the next chapter!

Deckmasters: Mirage Knight – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ MirageKnight-1. jpg - Green eyes? Tan! This 'composite' is based on a mix of past lives. See, during Yugioh R, Yami has GREEN EYES... And I have no clue why. Then I realized something; true, due to how genetics went around there was a fair chance of blue eyes; but throw in arabic genes and it's... VERY likely that he was one of the rare few to get green eyes. And really who knows; ancient frescos show red-heads sooooo...

Yea.

Deckmasters: Big Five-Berserk Dragon – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ BerserkDragon. jpg - IT'S... ALIIIIIIVEEEE. While I can't say I'm 'elated' (It's not one of those 'omg I've surpassed everything I could hope to achieve' moments), I do like how the slump pose came out. Heheee.

Deckmasters: Dark Magician Knight – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ DMKnight-1. jpg - I don't care how weird Yugi's anatomy is anymore~ I just like how Jou came out~ ...I bet that if I didn't say these things, you wouldn't notice these things. Mrrrr!

Well, with that in mind that concludes the update for this 'week' (Who knows if it'll take a week or not to update...)... I hope you enjoyed it! Coming up next...

Seto hunts down Noa, and everyone else tries to hunt down Seto! ...Seto has much more luck.