Ze'eb – 'Ariy
A boy sits in the deep chambers of the desert caverns again. It is a rare occurrence, and has been since numerous decades before. But nonetheless the boy comes, as often as he can.
The boy is worried. He leans against the wall biting his lip, and when he smiles his eyes give him away. Eventually, a pair of red eyes blink out from the shadows he sits in, and at the questioning rumble they give he slouches forward in worry.
"I had another dream," he tells the shadows, holding his legs close. "I saw Neker's father die in it." The shadows remain silent and as the boy frowns he continues. "...I wanted to say something... But how do you tell someone that their sickness is finally going to kill them?" Again, there is no answer, and his eyes squint in an attempt to stave off tears. "I... ...I'm afraid," he eventually says. "If I say something... If Neker knew that I knew..." The boy shakes himself. "Why do I dream," he asks. "Why do I see these things? I don't have a reason to know when people will die- I don't want to know when people will die," he shouts, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. "The last time I said something... The last time, the elders told me to keep my mouth shut... They called me a liar... If no one is going to believe me," he cried, wiping his eyes, "Then why do I have to dream?"
The shadows shift, and red eyes close over in sympathy. "There are always reasons for the gifts that the Great Ones give," the shadow whispers, taking form from the darkness to curl comfortingly around the boy. "It is true that your dreams may hurt at times... And at others, you may see them as an annoyance. But it is still a gift," he tells the boy, "And it is a gift you should not take lightly."
"I know." The boy looks to the shadows briefly, eyes looking over ashen scales before turning away. "I just want to know why too. No one else dreams," he mumbles under his breath. "No one else sees the elder's shadows like I do."
"Is that so," the shadow asks. This time it is the boy's turn to remain silent, and the shadow sighs. Many moments pass in this silence. The boy stares off, forcing himself to calm from the recent death. He leans back against the dragon and breathes deeply, closing his eyes and eventually turning his attention toward the ceiling.
More silence settles over the pair. The light in the room dims, and outside the sun begins to set. "...Tanniyn," the boy asks eventually, turning to the dragonic shadow at his side. "...Can you tell me a story?"
The dragon is a very old creature. He may be one of the oldest of the shadows in existence, or so the others say when they bother to speak to the boy. Most of the other shadows are afraid. They have seen many things, and fear the people of the village for reasons they will not say. They do not trust the boy before them.
'Dragon' however, believes otherwise, and listens when the boy speaks. He tells the boy that he reminds him of his 'chick', his 'son', and gives him advice and comfort where his own mother will not. And so when the boy comes down, be it to hide or simply to visit, he keeps him company. He listens to the boy's words, and speaks when needed. And, when the boy needs more than a listener, or an advice giver, he tells him stories... Stories of old times, and stories of ancient times.
And he teaches him, of the wonders of the world, and of the things man has forgotten. Of the things that exist right beneath his feet and over his head. Sometimes however, these lessons come from the stories themselves, and need not be explained.
The dragon wonders if this is perhaps one of those times.
The boy repeats his question, realizing that this silence is not one of refusal but of lost thought. "Do you have another story today Dragon?" The monster blinks, staring out from the shadows. Another story? Well.
"I suppose I could continue where I left off from last time," the dragon decides with a sigh.
The boy's formerly depressed expression instantly becomes a grin. "AH- Yeaaaa! Alright!"
"Settle down now..." He chuckles, and watches as the boy squirms in an attempt to do so. "I will now continue...
The being 'Darkness' could not create, as I have told you before," the dragon begins calmly. "To do so would be against his very nature; the Darkness was meant to destroy after all. But he was a cunning creature... He was clever, and determined to surpass his counterpart in 'Light'. So rather than 'creating', he found a way to split his essence from himself, dividing portions of his power into creatures that could combat the Light. By taking shadows from the neutral realm and fusing them with this power of his, twisting them into the greatest monsters the world has ever known he formed the perfect weapons...
Weapons which could traverse even into the world of Light if need be. The first," he explains, "Was the 'Behemoth'. A being of immense size, he was coated in the power of the neutral realms darkest corners, and with the shadows of the very edges of the realm of light, where the shadows begin to fade. But despite this power it was not the Behemoth who was first to fight Light- upon its creation, there was little that the Behemoth could do, for the Behemoth's power was tied to that of the world's hate. And in the realm that Light created, there was not nearly enough of such an emotion to fuel the beast. The world of Light was too peaceful, too calm, for such hatred to develop... So the Darkness formed a second beast.
The second child as well could not face Light upon its creation. The great serpent 'Leviathan', so powerful that he was, relied too much on the despair of human beings... And so long as Lights power remained in full capacity, there would never be enough to give him an advantage. It was a disadvantage not unlike that of the Behemoth; the world of Light was too 'positive', and could not form the proper amount of despair until something catastrophic occurred. If the power could not be gathered, then catastrophe could not happen... But Darkness was not one to give in; he could see that in due time, these creatures he had formed would prove useful. He knew... They merely needed a spark... Something to start the slew of negativity that would fuel their power. Something that could grow from nothing, which could simply 'be' and grow power as a result. So he created a third monster... And that monster, my dear child...
Was 'Ziz'.
It was all he could do not to pound the floor in rage at this moment. "Honda..!" All he could do not to switch places with his partner now to discern for himself just what had happened one floor below, to ascertain the fates of his friends. "Jonouchi..!" There was nothing but floor where they had once been now. The panel that had dropped so suddenly created a seamless seal between itself and the rest of the floor, leaving no visible sign of the pressure panel that Jonouchi had triggered. At the moment his other half was currently calling up through his mind in fear, shouting up about how Honda and some other person were trying to awaken the blond... How Jonouchi was twitching, how his eyes were moving at high speed beneath their lids.
But as he noticed a shadow looming behind him, he had little time to focus on the words his other was trying to pass through. In fact, he found himself blocking the connection for fear he would lash out in response to the situation at hand. "Well well well," a thickly accented voice chuckled, black army-grade boots thudding across the ground behind him. "'Mutou Yuugi'... It looks like your friends never fail to be there with you when you fight, do they..?" The other Yugi stiffened, turning with narrowed eyes to watch as a young bespectacled man stepped forward from the shadows.
Green military styled clothes with a dueldisk firmly locked over the left sleeve met his eyes and he swallowed. The next 'professor'.
The man before him adjusted his jacket collar, narrowing his eyes in apparent mirth. "You know," he began in a falsely conversational tone, "We of the 'Professor' league heard at one time that your ability to fight reaches its peak when your comrades stand at your side... Quite personally," he said rather dismissively, "I don't fully believe it. Anyone locked in competitions such as these shouldn't rely on such a fragile crutch after all. Nonetheless, if it had been true... Well." He chuckled darkly, gesturing to the floor panel that the 'other' Yugi now sat beside. "I needed to make sure that sort of uncertain element was eliminated as fast as possible... You understand, don't you," he added with a sneer.
Understand..? The boy stiffened, slowly pulling himself to his feet. Oh. He 'understood' alright... And he was damn lucky he was beyond shattering minds with the snap of his fingers now. "You... They could have broken their necks from that fall, both of them..." The only thing holding him back now was the knowledge that they hadn't, that they were both still alive, that they were both...
The man ignored him. "Those friends of yours are easy to fool, ah?" The man continued to talk, as though nothing had happened. "Really, a trap like that... I prepared many others in this room, but to think the first one would catch both- it's fairly pathetic. Nonetheless, allow me to introduce myself," he said somewhat louder, giving the boy a strong but clearly disrespectful salute. "'Kirk Dixon' of the Card Professors... Though I believe we should keep our words short," he went on. "The sooner we start the duel, the better after all don't you agree?" This man...
Yugi remained silent, and after a number of moments 'Kirk' again began to laugh.
"Hnhnhnhnhn... What's wrong?" he laughed, shaking his head. "Can't fight without your friends..?" Shut up... "Feeling weak..?"
Shut up..! "...Where did Jonouchi and Honda fall to," he hissed, eyes shadowed as they turned toward the duelist at his side.
Kirk paused at this, before adjusting his glasses and shrugging. "Hn. Well... The fact is, my traps are merely minor upgrades to already present security measures," the man admitted, "So I have no idea where that hole goes. Perhaps the owner of this building does," he continued, chuckling as the boy before him continued to scowl. "I would imagine however, that your 'friends' current location is more than appropriate... Given the trash that follows them beneath this floor." T... Trash..!
Though Kirk's expression had twisted into a feral sneer, Yugi's own expression rivaled it just as much so in rage, and as the man caught sight of this his own face began to weaken in fear. "You... How dare you insult them like that," he snarled, the look darkening still further. Trash? He'd show him trash..! "I'll be sending you much further down than you sent them," he spat, duel disk clicking forward. "We duel- now!"
The man's faltering grin shrank into a smirk, and he nodded. "Alright..!" The deck on his arm snapped into place, the sound of cards shuffling meeting the air. "We'll see how you fare against my Machina deck..!" Machina? The robotic army? He snorted, air still charging with the energy of a fight about to begin.
A military based deck would do just as much as any other kind against the monsters in his own..! "Hn! I move first," he announced, drawing his hand. "First, I set two cards face down," the boy decided, the holograms appearing before him as they normally would. He hadn't expected any stone of course- after the duel he'd had against Jonouchi that 'ability' had vanished completely. His monsters however... "Next... I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in defense mode..!"
Perhaps it was to mirror the 'stasis' that the monsters had taken during the battle where he saw everything as stone, but unlike when he had summoned Beta during his previous match the Alpha Warrior before him was completely silent. He hovered before his holographic card with crossed arms, and his magnet shaped helm covered his face almost completely. With the monster's summoning however, there was nothing more to do save stare momentarily at the monster's shadow before continuing on..
"It's your turn," he snarled, tearing his gaze from the monster on the field. "Go!"
"My turn eh..?" Kirk chuckled, eyes almost closing over as he drew his next card. "Very well," he decided, "First I set one face down card... And following that," he went on as the holograms shimmered into being, "I summon the Machina Soldier in attack mode. Moreover," the man continued, a robot with a helm that seemed almost identical to his summoner's hat appearing in holographic form, "I activate the spell 'Bonds of Brothers!'" Hm? Bonds of-
Blood drained from his face as cards began shuffling out from the deck, the hologram clearly revealing its purpose. Oh...
Crap.
"I special summon two more Machina monsters from my deck," Kirk announced, the cards flipped to the field just as quickly as the holographic forms came into being. From the right of the first robot a tall white being with a single gun, the lengthened muzzle aimed directly toward him. From the left, a great and four-legged 'spider' machine hovering almost awkwardly above the field. "Machina Sniper and Machina Defender," the man stated. "End turn." Gh- Three monsters... And that meant...
Yugi shook off what little unease was growing, swallowing as he steadied himself. He'd just summoned two monsters that couldn't attack or be sacrificed, and in addition he'd lost 1000 lifepoints. If he thought he could fight like that he was sorely mistaken- all this did was put Kirk at a disadvantage. Even so... 'You can't defeat my battle formation,' the milita-nut chuckled, gesturing to his loyal soldiers. The cards and their holograms shimmered in a betrayingly innocent manner, Yugi narrowing his eyes at the sight. 'My turn ends here...' Well. He'd have to take whatever risks his opponent held in his hand, wouldn't he...
"My turn," Yugi shouted, drawing his next card. There was no telling what was going on at this moment... So just in case, he decided, looking over his hand and at the card he'd just pulled from his desk. Just in case... "First, set one more face down card," he called out, almost speaking to himself as the hologram appeared. "Next... I sacrifice Alpha to summon this," he roared, Alpha's form shattering from existence. "The Dark Magician Girl!"
The arena before him seemed to explode with light as the holographic card met the air, fire and sand bursting forth from the image that replaced Alpha's own. The sand quickly swirled upward to form a body, and as cheerful laughter met the air the Dark Magician's apprentice turned to give a playful salute, staff twirling in her hand like a baton. "Hnhnhn! Good to see you again, Pharaoh! It hasn't been the same not talking with you all this time..!" Ah- All this time? (And- she knew about his past..!)
He'd have assumed she meant since she was put in the deck, but somehow that didn't feel like the right answer... Somehow, as with the Dark Magician there was something else there. Regardless however, it was time to move! And with that in mind he took his attention from the mage to their opponent. "Dark Magician Girl," he ordered, pointing the girl forward. "Machina Defender has the least power... Attack!"
"Right," she shouted, flames already growing at the tip of the staff. "BLACK B-" Crap.
"Of course you'd attack," Kirk was muttering, tapping the side of his duel disk as the Magician launched her spell forward. "Trap activate! Yellow Emergency Alarm!" Yellow- ...What! "I special summon another monster to act as a shield," he roared, "The Powered Caterpillar..! Too bad," he chuckled, narrowing his eyes. The flames from the attack rolled harmlessly over the metal spiked tank, and the mage shrank back with a swallow. "Your cute magician girl's existence is short lived... I COUNTER ATTACK," the man roared, the fat 'snake-like' monster aiming its guns forward. "BUSTER CANNON!" Ku-
"ACTIVATE COUNTER TRAP," Yugi snarled in retaliation, . "SPELLBINDING CIRCLE! Canceling the attack and lowering your monster's power by 700 points!" Of course, since his earlier attack had a separate target... The Dark Magician girl crossed her arms, scowling as the remainder of her flames vanished from existence. "My battle phase is over," he growled, watching as the hologram and the spell both faded from sight. "I have nothing left to do..." Even so...
He had to have some reason for protecting the seemingly useless machina so stubbornly. So what- "My turn," his opponent hissed, drawing his card. The moment his eyes flicked across it he grinned, turning his gaze toward Yugi and laughing. "Watch," he laughed, setting the card on the field. "The strongest Machina force formation..! Summon 'Commanding Officer Covington," he announced, a stiff and faceless robot appearing over the field. "And by paying 1000 lifepoints, I activate his effect... Watch- under Covington's command," Kirk cackled, the three machines before him slowly de-constructing and re-constructing, "My Machina take an unstoppable form..! THE MACHINA FORCE," he continued with a howl. "WITH ALL THEIR ATTACK AND DEFENSE ADDED TOGETHER!" Added- Added toge...
4600..!
"GO," Kirk roared, pointing the enormous mess of metal forward as his opponents paled. "MACHINA FORCE... ATTACK!"
"GH..!" The barrels of the guns took aim, gyrating in the beast's arms. Lights flickered, and the Dark Magician Girl cringed and ducked down, the snipers tiny red laser guiding the great beast before her. With nothing to do, she braced for the inevitable and... "Ngh... …!:"
A clicked button was all it took, and despite his stiff appearance Yugi let out a sigh of relief. The monster before him jerked and tensed, guns freezing as it pulled back and fell to pieces... And the card at his side swung upward, 'Covington' finding itself caught within a single seal across him. "You..." Kirk's face was frozen in shock, the man adjusting his glasses and swallowing. "You stopped the attack..!" His eyes flew over the field, only just realizing what had happened as he spotted the revealed trap. "No... This-"
"Curse of Illusion," Yugi announced clearly, a seal all too similar to the 'Spellbinding Circle' appearing. "Binding your Commanding Officer to negate his effect and lower his attack by 500 points..! But it's not over yet," he continued, nodding to his own monster as she stood back up from the ground. "I activate the spell 'Diffusion Wave Motion'... And I counter attack," he roared, the magician girl's staff glowing with power. "NOW! ATTACK THE MONSTERS ALL AT ONCE...
"CHOU MADOU HADOU-DAN," they both cried, fire streaking from the air to strike each of the holographic beasts down. "BLACK WAVE BULLET!"
"GH- GGHHHAA...!" As the fires pushed Kirk back his cards fell to the ground, the white plastic of a key card clearly visible amid the pile. The man watched as the holograms faded, shaking and stepping back. "No," he muttered in English, eyes widening further. "An... Annihila... ...My combo..."
"I win," Yugi snarled, stepping closer to the man as he crumbled on himself. "Now... Give me the key card."
"I..." Kirk didn't respond, merely pulling himself to his feet and shaking on the spot. "Never," he was muttering to himself, shaking his head as a defensive grin came over him. "Never," he cried to himself, "It's not possible, this..." By the time he'd stumbled back to the trip panel he'd rigged it was too late. "Heh-"
-piii!-
The floor panel he was on flipped upward, the spring tossing him back into the large trash chute at the side. "G-HHHAAAAAAAAAA..!" All that was left was a spinning trash-lid, and a few cards, leaving the fading Dark Magician Girl and Yugi both to stare in silence.
"Would you look at that," the magician muttered idly, her body fading in the light as she stared. "Caught in his own trap..." That was all she was able to say before vanishing- though it looked as though she would have said something else had she had the time.
And speaking of someone else... "Other me..!:" Hn..! The other Yugi turned, jumping as his partner floated up through the floor.
"Ah- Aibou," he called out with a start. "...Yugi..." He swallowed, almost turning away as the full force of what he'd been fighting for rendered him silent. "...How are the others...?"
His other half smiled, coming up to 'rest' on the air at his partner's side. "They're both fine now," he said confidently, a clear look of relief on his face. "The duelist down there is probably going to challenge them before they can move forward," he went on with a light laugh, "But he's been helping to try and wake Jonouchi-kun up."
"Ah- Wake up," he repeated, the spirit nodding.
"He's still knocked out right now," he explained, partner nodding in response. "Though he's not shaking any more. Honda-kun's fine as well," the boy added. "Just a sore back." Ah.. That was it then? Alright... So they just needed Jonouchi to wake up.
…
Somehow, this put him more at ill ease than when it had before the duel. "Any ways," Yugi went on, rubbing the back of his head. "We don't really know where their path will take them; according to Klamath-kun, the duelist, he had bad luck just by waiting down there... But we know which way we're aiming right," he asked, his other half staring somewhat blankly in response. "And didn't you say it yourself," he continued with a smile. "Jonouchi-kun and Honda-kun will break through whatever stands in their way... So for now, lets just move on positively rather than worry, alright?" Worry? He wasn-
He sighed. Well. He supposed he was he thought to himself with a smirk, shaking his head. "Hn... You're right," he said after a few moments, walking toward Kirk's fallen pile of cards to grab the key. "Wherever they are now, we'll still end up in the same place eventually..." The place where Tenma was waiting... As his lighter half nodded the boy turned his attention toward the stairs in the room, eyes moving around to look for a door. "...So," Yugi said after a few moments. "...How do we get to the door without triggering another trap?"
For a moment, it looked as though his lighter half planned to say something, even opening his mouth to speak. In the end however, he merely looked back to the room and coughed. "Erm... Maybe if I go back under I'll see something..." Hahahaha...
Of course...
Yugi had been telling the truth when he said that the others would be 'fine'. During the entirety of his other half's duel however, the truth in the statement was coming with considerable difficulty- and it was only moments before that duel finished that Katsuya finally started coming to, the obvious shaking of a well-experienced dream having calmed down only moments prior.
"Hey," an aggravated voice muttered, hands shaking his shoulders as it was joined by the shouts of another. "Hey, wake up..!" 'Wake up'? What was that, English..?
"He's not going to understand you..." Yea, tell them Honda!
Wait... "Well I don't know how to say it in-"
"'Mezameru'," said Honda, "But I meant that if you keep going in English..."
"Well- It's not my first language," the new voice protested, switching over to a stumbling attempt at Japanese.
"That's obvious," Honda muttered, his friend slowly coming to his senses.
"Hnn... Wh'..." Katsuya opened his eyes, blearily watching as blurs of colours slowly took form. On one side he could clearly make out the blue and white of his friend's uniform and t-shirt, but on the other... Orange... And black... ...And cat? What the hell, did he summon another- The blond's vision slowly continued to focus, and he tossed the thought from mind. No he told himself, this... This was... "Nggh... Sffff..." He hissed, reaching for his forehead in pain. "Ngh... M' head..."
"Woaaaah, easy th- Er..." The boy in orange coughed, shaking himself. "Easy there alright," he corrected. "You landed weird..." Easy? Ow ow ow, right...
The blond shook himself, slowly pulling himself up against the wall. "Ngghh... Shit... W' happened," he hissed, wincing as another wave of pain shuddered through his skull.
"Long story short, you fell down a trap hole," Honda answered dryly, frowning somewhat. "And Olser here-"
"Call me Klamath."
"Right... Klamath," the teen corrected, rolling his eyes, "Found you on the ground passing out."
'Klamath', the black haired boy, chuckled at that. "Hehehehehe... Never thought anyone would fall down here though," he muttered, Japanese broken and flat as he forced himself to hold the language. "Those were pretty obvious traps..." Ob-
"What was that," he snarled, instantly 'recovering' from the pain.
"AH- H-Hey," the boy laughed, stepping back. "Just saying..! I mean... My lucks' always rotten," he joked. "I drew the straw for the bottom basement floor; what do you think the chances are that I'd end up fighting anyone?" He sighed, shaking his head. "Guess I have some luck left after all... Seeing how you're obviously fine now," he added almost dryly. "...Now." The boy stood, crossing his arms as his expression grew somewhat more severe. "Listen, are you alright now," he asked, worry briefly replacing the semi-proud look on his face. "Because if you plan on getting anywhere, you've still got me to go through- if you're going to collapse half way, I'm not going to start!" Eh- What! Half way through what!
"Wai'..." He blinked, dots and pieces coming together in his head as he stared at the whiskered boy. "You're th' card professor..!"
"I think I said that," Honda muttered, shaking his head at the blank look he received in response. "...I definitely said that..." He watched as the blond pulled himself up, rubbing sore shoulders with a frown. "He's been waiting to see if you'd come to so he could fight you know..!"
"Yea yea..." The blond cracked his neck, stepping forward. "I got it..! So. I gotta beat you t' get t' Yugi righ'," he asked, still frowning somewhat. He chuckled, a competitive smirk coming over his face. "Heh! Les' do th's then!"
"Try not to get killed," shouted Honda from behind. Oh hahahahahha...
He tried not to think about how literal that was, instead nodding. "Righ'! DUEL!"
The familiar violet film of the fight instantly appeared, growing from a point between the two as their dueldisks clicked on. From the center, the film almost resembled a hole of sorts. It spread out like a poison, coating the floor in a manner that almost had him step back in unease. The film grew around the hall... Up the walls and about the ceiling, and as he drew his cards he found himself watching it surround them to the point where there were 'walls' on either side of where they were. Huh... And here he'd thought it was always just 'there'...
"My turn," Klamath began, a small smirk on his face as his opponent's attention snapped back to the battle at hand. "And it looks like my luck's still here- I got a good card..! I summon Arijigoku," he called out, a tablet appearing only for the field to remain empty. "End turn!" End-
"Wh-" He frowned, eyes wide as he looked over the field. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The tablet hadn't even given off its usual smoke as it carved itself, merely showing the image of a pair of eyes in some sort of 'void'. But the monster wasn't even there, so where was- "What th' hell..! Where'd it go..!" Where-
"Where'd what go," Klamath 'asked', chuckling as his opponent continued to fret. "If you don't get it, then just attack why don't you?" Attack..! He growled, only to tense as the sudden urge to look down came over him. A flash of something crawling in the darkness came to mind, of a pair of eyes in the middle of a deep pit...
...Awwwww shit it was beneath the ground. "Hey... Jonouchi," Honda muttered, looking to him almost suspiciously. "Is this..."
"Tch." He ignored him, instead narrowing his eyes back into focus. "My turn," the blond growled, drawing his card. A monster, his mind told him. Alright then... "I set one trap," he announced, watching the stone rise up to his side with its usual blank face. "An' next... I summon Gearfried, in attack mode..!" From the second tablet at his side the familiar iron-clad warrior stepped forth, metal thumping across the ground as he turned.
"Yo," he said somewhat casually, waving a metal blade/arm in greeting. "I was wondering when we'd be dueling again..."
Katsuya merely shrugged, smirking as he looked over the monster's metal covered face. "Heh... Y' can stop wonderin' now.," he said with a grin, ignoring the slight frown from across him in response. "Jus' have fun, y'r target's underground..."
Gearfried seemed to blink, staring in silent shock with the words. "Nn... Underground..!" The monster looked forward, narrowing his eyes and readying his stance. "Tch... Alright then..."
Yep. "GEARFRIED," Katsuya ordered, pointing the monster forward as he jumped to spear the ground. "ATTA-"
Rumbling met the air in that instant, the ground by Klamath's tablet seeming to crumble. Pinchers the size of large dogs broke through the ground, and as Katsuya stumbled back he cursed. Ignoring the confusion on his opponent's face he shielded his eyes, dirt and concrete flying into the air. "Gh- SHIT," he could hear Gearfried shout, his body tossed upward in the resulting explosion. "Ambush..!" Yea no shit..! But more importantly...
"What th' hell kinda hole is this..!" Katsuya roared, squeezing his eyes shut as the others stared. They couldn't hear the sound of the hole he figured. At least not at this level... But regardless of what they saw or heard, it was blinding, painful, and stung his eyes a hell of a lot more than a hologram would. Not to mention he couldn't see dick all. "Gh... Where th' hell is-"
"Ressssssssshhhh...!" -cllk cllk clkk...- Aww fuck. That was probably the monster he realized, slowly opening his eyes to look forward and wince. The pinching jaws of what resembled a giant and round bodied ant tore through the ground, snapping at the metal of Gearfried's form with ease. The metal crunched inward with a sickening sound, and as the monster cried in pain Katsuya swallowed. He could see blood dripping from between the bits of metal, even as it sank back into the hole with the oversized ant-lion... And that...
"Hehehehe... Monsters facing against Arijigoku lose 500 attack points," Klamath chuckled, his opponent slowly coming to his feet as the ground evened out again to cover the corpse in concrete and tile. "You attack again," the boy 'warned', "And you'll be in a lot more pain than you already are..!" Huh... Pain eh? Katsuya grimaced, idly rubbing his arm where a particularly solid chunk of tile had hit it. He was already probably in more pain than he thought damn it...
"Hey... Jonouchi," Honda muttered, a loud 'my turn' coming from the other end of the field. "Jonouchi, you alright man..?"
The blond merely nodded, brushing some dust from his disk and swallowing. Tch... This was bad... He didn't have anything else left... "'M fine," Katsuya muttered, not turning back. "Jus' fine... ...What're y' waitin' for," he forced out, watching the giant antlion across from him scratch at the ground it'd formerly sat beneath. Klamath's somewhat worried expression stiffened, and the blond continued. "Your turn ain' it?"
At this his opponent's face shifted into a competitive smirk, Katsuya growing somewhat pale as a result. He had a nasty feeling that this was going to hurt... A lot. "Hehehe... Just waiting for you to pay attention," the boy said with a shrug, easily hiding any other worry about what it was he was or wasn't seeing. "Watch- this is what I drew just now," he 'warned' with a grin, "'Firearms Insect Armor'..!" Fire... Eh! That- The card was set on the field, its tablet appearing only to crumple into dust and form a weapon of sorts upon the monster's back. A large and futuristic canon latched onto the monster's hide, claws digging through the exoskeleton as it glowed with power. A power that his opponent was not needlessly explaining to him. "With this," Klamath announced, "Arijigoku's attack rises to two thousand two hundred... And in addition to that," he continued with a grin, "I summon the worm drake..!" Worm- The tablet rose from the dusty field, and as the image appeared on its form its summoner continued. "Now... Both of you! Attack the player," Klamath shouted, blood draining from the blond's face. Ohhh shit-
From the second monster tablet the worm charged, mouth opening to reveal a single eye at the end of its tongue. The beast hissed, slithering across the ground while the gun from Arijigoku prepared to fire, and in one swift move- "FUCK-" Two direct hits-
"RISSSSHHHHH!" Ducking behind his arm there was now a single cut, which would thankfully prove little harm as the snake retreated and stared in confusion. Briefly its single eye seemed to widen, before the serpent turned back to 'scream' something to its partner. -RSSST-!-
The oversized larvae however, decided to ignore it evidently. "Shi-" Sidestepping away as fast as possible his uniform jacket flapped in the back draft of Arijigoku's fired attack, the monster clicking its pincers in slow and obvious questioning 'tones' while the fabric smoked. "Hah... Hah..."
"Oi oi, Jonouchi," Honda shouted almost in panic, "What the hell are you doing..!"
"G... Shut up," he called in response, swallowing. "It's nothin'..!"
Honda narrowed his eyes, but nonetheless he remained silent; Klamath as well seemed suspicious... If not because of the damage, but because of the way he'd reacted. Normal people didn't try and dodge attacks like that after all- it wouldn't change the life-point drop. Regardless of if it hit or not, he only had 200 life points now... And while he had that one face down card, it was worth nothing more than a bluff.
Damn it... He could practically hear the Panther Warrior in the back of his mind; 'don't place useless trap cards idiot..! Not everyone falls for a bluff that obvious!' Oh whatever... It wasn't useless damn it!
Of course, if he got the right card... "Heh... This is going easier than I thought," Klamath was chuckling, shaking his head as he muttered to himself. "Maybe if my luck holds out," he continued in English, "I'll even get to claim Yugi Mutou's prize..." Yugi-
Wait, did he say 'prize' too..! Katsuya's face sank into a nervous scowl, the blond narrowing his eyes. He had no clue what he'd said but... "Tch... Like hell I'm lettin' tha' happen," he growled, drawing his next card. "'S my turn..!" And- He blinked, looking to the card in his hand to double check what his 'sight' had already told him. No way...
And here he thought this kind of luck was only what Yugi had..! He was only on his second turn..! "...Hey..." The blond looked across the field, watching as his opponent sent him a worried frown. "Hey, you're still doing alright... Right?" Eh? Katsuya blinked, watching as Klamath's frown deepened slightly. "...You got pretty quiet there... Sure you didn't get a concussion, or..."
"Heh." He smirked, narrowing his eyes. "I'm jus' fine," Katsuya shouted. "Better than ever! I set one more face down card on th' field," he began, slapping the card down as its tablet rose up beside him. "An next, th' Rocket Warrior in d'fense mode. Tha's it," he continued. "Turn end!"
Klamath nodded, the boy barely visible from behind the stationary tablet his opponent had summoned. "My turn then!" he shouted, setting a card on the field following his next draw. "Sorry about this, 'Jonouchi'... But your shield is nothing compared to this..! Activate the magic card Evolution 2," the boy announced, a fine powder rising from the ground around Arijigoku's equipment. The gun on its back gained a second barrel, its owner stumbling somewhat beneath the weight as Klamath explained. "Arijigoku's equip spell is doubled in power," he laughed, "And with that done, I attack..! GO-" Hahaha, NO.
"H-p!" The blond smacked his hand across the tablet beside him, stone image carving itself as a spring-loaded 'claw' launched itself forward. "Act'vate face down... Shield arm," he announced, the trap's effect protecting the already shield-like stone before him. "Takin' th' worm drake t' use as a shield..!" Sorry about this, he thought as the arm viced itself around the snake, pulling it from where it had curled around the stone. But nothing personal..! And as the two bullets from Arijigoku blasted forward the tablet crumbled, nothing but charred remains left to fall on the ground as his opponent tensed.
"Gh... Damn it," Klamath muttered, shaking himself and wincing. "Acting all tough..."
"Japanese," Honda shouted from behind, Klamath merely scowling in response.
"I got it already..! Sheesh..! I'd like to see you two in the USA..! Try sticking to English then, you... Tch..."
"Hey," Katsuya called out, already holding the next card in his hand. His opponent blinked, looking forward almost dully. "You were talking abou' luck earlier," he asked, the smirk on his face slowly growing larger. "Talkin' abou' what a great streak you were havin'..?" His opponent blinked, and he continued. "Truth is.. I'm pretty lucky too," he bragged, Klamath shaking himself in incredulity.
"L-Lucky," he repeated, laughing at the thought. "Hahahah! Someone with 200 life points shouldn't be saying that sort of thing..!"
"Really now," he asked with a grin, setting the card on the field. "Well then le's see who's luck is greater! I play th' spell card Roulette Spider," he announced, watching as the stone web slowly grew in the center. From the very middle of the black and red coloured stone that rose up from the ground a checkered spider pulled itself forward, launching itself at the ant-lion before it and pulling it toward the middle. The tablet with the Rocket Warrior moved to the side of the stone, the oddly formed wheel slowly coming to hover above the ground.. And from each of their own locations on the field, a triangle was formed. "Hehehehe... Time t' play a game," he shouted, the arrow-like arachnid launching itself into a spin with a high-pitched squeal. "Th' one who gets th' pointer ends up losin'..! An' when it does stop, an when you d'cide it's time t' end..." he continued lowly, narrowing his eyes with a smirk. "It's gonna stop on you."
...Well.
Hopefully, at least.
As Klamath watched the wheel spin after all, they both knew as much about it as the other- there was only a one in three shot of it hitting Klamath. His 'vision' refused to tell him what would happen in regards to who won or lost in his own duels, leaving him at the mercy of chance. And with those kinds of odds... "Nn..." It was almost surprising that his opponent was worried in any way let along more worried than him. "Gh... STOP," Klamath shouted, swallowing his unease as the spider began to slow. "Nh..."
The blurred colours began to take form... Reds and blacks separated out and the arrow on the spider's rear slowly came to a stop. "Hihihih-" And...
And it was pointing at him. "GH- IT- IT'S ME," he shouted in minute panic, Klamath's eyes widening in relief.
"AH- Hahaha! YES! I knew it," he said with a grin, almost collapsing in surprise. "My luck hasn't run out after a-"
"Ehhh..?" Klamath froze, watching as Katsuya cut him off. "Did you hear me cry abou' losin' yet," he asked, expression of fear fading into a smirk as his opponent did the reverse.
"W-What..."
As the blood again drained from Klamath's face Katsuya grinned, snapping his fingers. From his side the blank 'bluff' tablet was already carving itself out, and as the dust sank from its image the spider again began to spin. "Hehehehe... Trap card..! Chance Alteration- not only do I get another shot," he began with a grin, eyes widening to an eerie extent, "But th' arrow can' hit me this time..! It's 50-50," he announced, pointing forward with a narrow-eyed grin. "So le's see what yer chances are th's time aroun'..."
"Wh... But that... It's not fair," he muttered, shaking his head. "You changed the odds, it should have..." The arrow continued to spin, colours blurred and almost nauseating on the field. "It..." The ant-lion in the center was charging its weapon, but the insect itself was barely holding onto the spider. "Nh... STOP..!"
Again the arrow slowed... And again, Arijigoku's gun took aim... And this time, Klamath found himself swallowing in defeat, a pair of red-hot canons aimed toward him. "Oh no... It..."
"Hahaha... ALRIGH'..!"
-RRRSSH-ck!-
"I WIN."
"W- HHAAAAAHH!" A miniature explosion sounded around the room, Katsuya pumping a fist as the field began to clear. Hehehehehe...
"WHOO!" YEA! Alright! He continued to grin and laugh, ignoring the dust that was flying in his face from the disappearing field. "ALRIGH'!"
"Sheesh..." Eh? "More of a gambler than a duelist," Honda muttered, his friend turning back to blink.
"Nyh? What w's tha'," he asked, looking to the teen almost innocently.
"Nothing..."
There was a small groan from the other side of the hall, Katsuya walking over to watch as Klamath pulled himself up. "Ngghh... 'Five feet' my ass, that had to be at least six..." Eh? What was that he was talking about?
"Oiii, 'Klamath'," Katsuya asked, disk clicking off and heading to the side as he slipped his cards back in place. "You alrigh' down there?"
The boy looked up, frowning as he caught Katsuya's grin and humored tone. "Hn! As good as I can be..." He grunted, attempting to sit up from the ground with a hiss. "Man... And here I thought my luck was running strong today," he mumbled, pulling out a single plastic card and holding it out.
"Ah- Tha's-"
"The key card," Klamath finished, Honda taking the card as the boy continued. "You earned it... I figure your prize will probably increase by maybe five... Er..." He frowned, scratching his head. "Five fold... Five fold... Ah... What the hell is-"
"Five... Times the amount?" Honda offered hesitantly, Katsuya turning to frown.
"Since when did you know English..?" he muttered, Klamath giving Honda a nod of confirmation while the teen shrugged.
"Since I keep getting stuck listening to Otogi and his cousin web-chatting."
Otogi had a cousin? "Wha-"
"ANYWAYS," Klamath 'shouted', pulling their attention back. "Before I go and turn myself in somewhere for losing it..."
"Losin' it?"
"Seeing how I'm seeing my opponents smoke under attack," the boy muttered on.
"Er.."
Honda coughed, shaking his head. "No... Ah..." He coughed again, growing somewhat red-faced. "Don't worry Klamath you're not going crazy..."
The boy blinked. "I'm not?"
Ahhh... Well. "Nah... Nah tha's... Pretty much how all my duels go," the blond admitted, rubbing his head. "Ehhh..."
Klamath frowned, coming to his feet in confusion. "So the speaking to the monster thing," he asked, looking to Honda. "That wasn't him going all... Weird?"
He sputtered, face growing red with incredulity. "W-Weird! Wha-"
"Nah, you're good," Honda answered, ignoring the agitated complaints at his side. "So," he continued, cracking his neck. "Next block is..."
"Just up the stairs," Klamath told them, stepping to the side as he rubbed his arm and gestured toward the open staircase. "Hologram test room. It's a weird one though, just a warning... If it wasn't for the fact that Pete's in there," he continued with a sigh, "I'd say I was lucky not to get it." Hn?
"Pete," Katsuya repeated idly, frowning as a wolf's howl came to mind. Odd... What the hell was that..? He shook himself, stowing his hands in his pockets and looking forward before eventually starting up the steps. "Eh, I'll see in th' end I suppose." Maybe it was the 'Coppermine' guy the Vampire mentioned... "Nice meetin' yah 'Klamath'."
"See you later Olser," Honda added, the two walking past the boy as he tensed.
"AH- I said to use my first name damn it! My first name!" He received no answer, and eventually turned away to scowl and grumble to himself. "Damn Japanese and their last-name basis, what is this..!"
What was with him talking behind their back in another language..? Katsuya almost stopped to say that actually- but as he started up the stairs he could hear an almost wailing shout. "Eh- What th'-"
"What the hell is-"
"YyyaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA..!" The pair turned, watching owlishly as someone in green plummeted from a chute above and into a larger chute below the staircase.
"Er... What.."
"Oh shit, Kirk!"
"Kirk..?"
As Honda turned to look at Katsuya the teen merely shrugged, shaking his head. "Hey man, don' look at me..! I don' get flashes f'r everything..!"
"Yea..."
"'But it'd be nice if I did', righ?"
The look on Honda's face told him quite clearly what he thought about having the words taken out of his mouth. "Oh haha," he muttered after recovering from the slight shock, smacking the blond on the back of the head as he ducked and laughed. "That's great. You going to tell me when my next meal is too?"
"I could."
"Seriously?"
On demand? "N-" He paused, before snickering as the image came to mind. "Yep."
Honda blinked. "What the hell, you get crap like that but not your opponent's next move..!"
"Hey," he mumbled darkly, "I won tha' match..!"
"Yea," Honda responded as they moved up the stairs. "Barely."
"Like t' see you do better, 'Sunny'."
Honda paused, the two standing outside the door to whatever room they were heading for. "...You said you wouldn't mention that..."
"Guess I lied," he sniggered, friend scowling at the reminder of prior virtual incidents.
"Bastard."
"Yep!"
The card was slid through the door's key-lock, panels sliding off to the sides as a row of glass cylinders and odd lights met their vision. It was a fairly incredible change after the room before them... But even so they said nothing for the moment, merely steadying themselves and moving. "Looks like we're still underground," Honda muttered behind him, Katsuya slowly walking into the room to look around. Glass tubes, the lights beneath creating test-holograms... "Hey, Jonouchi," Honda called from behind him, pausing to look at one of the odd tubes and the tiger hologram suspended within it. "Don't get yourself caught in anymore traps got it?" T-Traps..!
"Gh- What th' hell kinda person d' you think I am..!" The blond scowled, shaking his head. Sheesh... He crossed his arms, shuddering as he passed another tube and looked at the monster inside. "S-Sheesh... If it weren' f'r th' fact tha' I know better I'd almost say Seto-chan's 'xperimentin' on duel monsters..."
Honda nodded, staring at the dragon that was 'floating' in the tube beside him. "Tell me about it... It already looks like I could feel all of this thing's scales- This solid vision is pretty incredible..."
"Hehehe... Is it," he asked, scratching the side of his head, turning from the next tube. "All I c'n say is tha' it's a little less detail-"
-tpf-
"Nh?" A knock on the glass caught his attention and he turned, jumping back with a shout as an eerie and pale faced leer came through the glass. "H-HAAAAAAAHHHH! O-OBAKE!"
"NHAHAHAHAHA!" The glass tube slid upward, a leather-clad young man stepping forward with a grin. "AAAAHH! You should have seen your face..!"
"Gh..." Wait... Human..! He scowled, nonetheless putting as much distance between himself and the teen as possible. "Bastard...!"
The man continued to chuckle, shaking his head. "Whaaat... That scared you? Come on, it couldn't be that bad..." He laughed, cracking his knuckles with a stretch and a yawn. "Hahhh..! I was waiting there for so long, but in the end that was worth it..."
"Youuuuuu..."
"This... This must be 'Pete'," Honda muttered helping Katsuya up as the man blinked.
"Hn? Oh? Did one of the others mention me?" He was answered with silence, and decided to pass it off with another laugh. "Well," he decided, smile widening. "How interesting..! But you know," he continued darkly, "For all that I've said, I might just be a 'Solid Vision' of 'Peter Coppermine'... After all," he continued, eyes narrowing almost to slits. "You never realized that one was 'Anzu Mazaki'..."
All humor evaporated from the air, along with fear and unease as the two before Pete narrowed their eyes. That... "What kinda asshole starts a conversation like that," he hissed, fists clenching as their opponent continued to grin. "You... Where's th' duel field," he spat, "I'm gonna beat y' down w'thin two hits, hologram 'r not!"
Pete merely chuckled at the threat, raising a seemingly nonexistent eyebrow. "Ooooh... Scary, scary," he muttered in English, before turning with a nod. "Alright then 'Jonouchi Katsuya'... We'll get to it! The duel field is this way," he told them as he gestured to the side. "But you know," he continued, the field itself just a short distance away from the hologram testing, "Because of your previous success over Klamath, your prize increases ten-fold. Now anyone who beats you gets 100 dollars!" he laughed, expression the closest thing to genuine as one could believe in such a situation. "Not to mention," the man went on, "I just got new orders from above- Anyone who beats you gets to head straight to Yugi, no questions asked! So important... That has to be a motivation increaser, neh..? Your situation isn't so bad..." Not too bad..?
That just put him more at unease, if someone like Tenma decided he would be holding Yugi's fate in his hands. There was silence in response to his opponent's taunts, and as Pete followed the blond's stare his grin seemed to fade... Becoming a more hesitant expression, if not even understanding. Whether or not he could see the small and seemingly anthropomorphic wolf beside him however was left for only him to know- the duel disks clicked into place as they positioned themselves on the field, and as the decks reshuffled he turned his eyes toward his opponent. "Le's jus' duel already," he snarled, narrowing his eyes and ignoring the werewolf standing beside them. "Got it..?"
"Hnhnhn... Alright then..."
"GO!
"I'll go first," Katsuya shouted, cards flying toward his hand as he held his gaze toward the slowly shifting field around them. "Draw..!" Watch... He'd toss this guy out in three turns... Three turns..! He'd-
"Hey..." Nh? "You better keep a cool head about this," Honda warned from the side. "You barely made it through the last one..."
Had it been any other time, he would have mouthed him off for implying he was going to lose.
That wasn't what Honda was talking about though, and the singe marks on his only school uniform were a pretty good reminder of that. "Got it," he instead responded, setting a card on the field and watching as the blank tablet that resulted immediately merged with the floor and vanished from sight. That was new. But focusing on the duel now... "Set one card face down," he began, before taking the next card to slide it in place. "And summon th' Little Winguard in d'fense mode..!"
Another tablet rose from the ground, this time remaining firmly in place as an image of the familiar warrior came into being. Briefly, the man across him looked to the card in apparent interest, even staring at his opponent's hands... However in the end, he turned his gaze to his own, smiling. "Well then... My turn! I summon the Para Mutant in attack mode," he announced, the spirit at his side vanishing into a mist as the tablet came to the field. As the figure stepped out from the misting stone Katsuya found himself staring, head tilting almost in confusion toward the monster's appearance. He was pale skinned, and emaciated- the shirt and leather clothes he wore were clearly oversized, and around his neck was a thick collar and chain. At the moment, its power was the same as the Little Winguard's defense...
But there was something else here... He wasn't sure why, but the howl that kept sounding in his mind was giving him a fairly uneasy idea.
"Before I end my turn," Pete announced, snapping the blond from his thoughts. "I set one card face down... ATTACK," he roared, before switching his battle ready expression to one of calm, "Won't happen just now..."
"Gh- What-" What was that shout just now..! He almost believed it damn it..! "Th' hell is with tha' attitude..!"
Para Mutant shrugged in silence, as if to say he agreed with Katsuya's accusation entirely. With the shrug, he almost thought he even saw Pete look to the monster in disdain... But a closer look told him this wasn't the case, and he tossed it from mind. Whatever...
Probably nothing anyways. "My turn," he grumbled, drawing his next card. Bastard... Casually switching his moves around like that... What was his game..? "Summon th' Panther Warrior," he decided in the end, watching as the tablet arose to his side. "Attack mode!" Hehehe...
Whole 'gang' getting back together again he found himself thinking, the humanoid cat making his way from the stone with a smirk. "Hn!" The monster cracked his neck, twirling his sword in his hands and making a few more warm-up stretches while the smoke of his tablet swirled about his feet. "It's been a while now, hasn't it," he chuckled, narrowed cat eyes looking toward the blond.
"Heh... What're y' talkin' abou'," he laughed as he shook his head. "You've been buggin' me all summer..! Alrigh'... Panther Warrior," he ordered, ignoring the muttered and confused English from the other end as the monster nodded and charged. "ATTACK..!"
"HHRRRRAAAAAAAHHH-!"
"ACTIVATE TRAP!"
"SHIT-" The cat skidded to a stop as Pete's blank tablet crumbled from existence, the dust forming a clawed amulet around Para-Mutant's neck.
"Theriomorphic Jewel," Pete announced, the mutant suddenly growing muscles and fur as it increased in size. Claws grew from where nails had been, loose clothing stiffened and stretched under pressure and the Panther Warrior stared in horror. "Paramutant becomes the Lycanthrope," his opponent announced, pointing the beast forward. "And his power," he continued, Panther Warrior's ears pulling back as the formerly waif-like monster towered over him, "Now surpasses yours!" Oh shit.
"RRRROOOOUURRRRRRRROOOOOOOO!" And there was the howl he predicted.
FUC- "COUNTER ATTACK," Pete ordered, a loud yowl entering the air as the wolf threw the cat down to the ground. "Crush the Panther Warrior..!" Gh-!
A crack sounded through the air as the weaker monster was slammed further into the arena, the Lycanthrope grabbing the beast by his leg and flinging him violently to the side. "P-PANTHER!" The warrior's corpse lay motionless on the edge of the field, Pete narrowing his eyes as he looked at his opponent. That... Katsuya turned back, swallowing. "Gh... Bastard..."
"You're the one attacking without thinking," Honda shouted from the side, his friend flinching in response. GH-
Saying something like that...! "I ain-"
"You should listen to your friend," Pete said almost flatly, the blond scowling at the tone.
"GH- SHADDUP YOU!" Damn it all..! As if he knew what the hell was going on here..! As if- ...Alright... "Hahhhh..." Calm down, he told himself as he drew a card. Calm down, calm down... This kind of thing happened in every battle, and just because Lycanthrope decided to be particularly violent about it didn't mean... Anything... (Shit, for a moment he thought Panther was still moving at the side there...) "Phewww..." The body faded out of existence, Katsuya shaking himself yet again as he steadied himself. "Alrigh'..." Alright. It was all good. This guy wasn't getting to Yugi, and he wasn't going to lose. It was alright... "I set another trap card," he announced, the tablet rising to his side at the far end of his still present trap hole. "An' I end my turn alrigh'? Bring it on 'Wolfy'!"
Pete raised an eyebrow, nonetheless holding whatever response he had as he drew his next card. "Hn. My turn," he stated, "And just for now... I'll activate a spell card from my hand," he decided, blowing some hair from his eyes as he set the card. "Future Telling Eye!" Future... EH? He blinked, watching as another wave of dust moved from the air to form an eye of sorts above its caster. "This allows me to see your two face down cards," he chuckled, the spell's effect already appearing in the back of his opponent's mind. "So I know exactly what you're doing..!"
ECK- Crap. "You... You c'n see-" He turned to look at his tablet, wincing as it carved its image and settled back into dormancy while revealing itself to the field." Gh... Damn it..."
His double attack card... "Hnhnhnhnhn..." Damn bastard... "Well," Pete observed, chuckling under his breath. "'Rengeki' ah? Attack again if you land a hit on me... In that case," he decided with a shrug, "I suppose that with the monster you have now, I don't have to worry... Of course, your trap hole is a little bit of a problem with Lycanthrope so..." So stop planning out loud already..! "Ah! I've got it," Pete decided with an almost menacing tone, snapping a card into his hands with a grin. The blond across from him continued to scowl, almost growling aloud as the wolf beside Pete's new tablet stood in preparation for 'tribute'. "I'll set one card and, using the Lycanthrope as a sacrifice," Pete announced clearly, "I'll summon this monster..!" Summon what- "Psychokinetic 'Mutant Highbrain'..!" WHA-
The wolf on the field gave a pain-filled howl as dust rose around it, followed by ethereal smoke. Sands and mists obscured it from sight, and within moments Katsuya found himself watching a column of 'white' take form, stretching from the floor to the ceiling above. The material narrowed in the center... Arms took form, stretching out with pale skin as darkened robes revealed themselves around the beast, with pale skin and sightless eyes staring forward in cold silence. And as numbers appeared in his mind Katsuya found himself frowning, even shaking his head in disbelief. Zero... Attack 'zero', what...
"Watch out man... There's probably a pretty good reason why he did that," Honda muttered, his friend merely narrowing his eyes. Of course there was a good reason to do that, but-
"HIGHBRAIN," Pete abruptly ordered, the monster looking over his opponent in silent disdain as he stiffened. "ATTACK..!"
TELEKINESIS HAND FORCE!
It was just now that he realized why the smoke had yet to vanish completely, putting the shock of the Highbrain's 'voice' aside. As the shout tore through his mind a pair of hands seemed to form from the smoke and mist, shooting forward and over top of the trap hole with ease. With curled and seamlessly attached claws the hands ripped into the tablet, and as a dull shout met the air Katsuya continued to pale. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Trap hole doesn't work on your own monsters," Pete sneered, eyes wide as the Little Winguard was pulled free and motionless from the tablet, head hung downward in apparent slumber. "With this, I can attack you a different way..! NOW," he ordered, the hands gripping Winguard's arms tightly and drawing the blade. "WINGUARD... ATTACK THE PLAYER!" What-
"Wha-"
"Ngg..." The blade rushed forward, and despite him moving to the side the blond found himself choking, eyes meeting with the monster's for a moment. The Winguard tensed, eyes widening as he regained consciousness... "Nh... K-Katsuya..!" The blade clattered to the ground as the hands faded from sight, Winguard stepping back in horror. "Katsu..!"
"Nngghh..." Shit... Katsuya grit his teeth, stumbling back somewhat as he looked down at his side. The blade didn't meet its target, thank god. He'd barely made it but... A small bit of red was slowly seeping into the white fabric, and as he swallowed uneasily he resisted the urge to cover it with a hand. He'd get blood on his cards... And someone would see, so he couldn't do that, he couldn't...
Pete had been laughing he noticed dully, blinking away the short dizzy spell the attack had left him with. Key word being had. The sound had faded when Honda's quick 'Jonou-' had come over the air, and when a small bit of blood trailed down Winguard's blade and to the ground. The monster's blood and weapons were invisible to everyone else, that was true.
His wasn't. And now, it was quite clear that something was wrong "What on earth," Pete muttered with narrowed eyes, before shaking himself off. It was nothing, Katsuya thought to himself as he moved his foot over the slight pool, nothing... Nothing, just pass it off as a trick of the light...
"Jonouchi..."
"N-Nnnnh... Katsuya," the Winguard whispered with a swallow, "Are you..."
"I got this," he muttered stiffly, drawing his next card, "Jus'-" Wait... Just wait. He blinked, pained expression slowly growing into a wide and almost mischievous grin as he looked across the field. Ah- ... "Hehehehehe..." Ohhhh.. "Hehehahaha..." This... "Hnhnahaha..!" This was good..! Highbrain had zero attack; with nothing to protect him now...
'Is it my turn then,' he thought he heard someone whisper, the blond looking down at his hand as the grin became a smaller and more subtle smirk. 'Will I get to fight..?' Hn..? Who was-
He blinked, picking up one of the cards in his hand and looking it over for a moment. White armor met his gaze, with an enormous sword gripped in the warrior's hand. This one eh..? Well. His grin grew, eyes narrowing almost into slits. Why not? "My turn Pete... Yer gonna regret doin' tha'..! First I set one card face down," he shouted, the all too familiar Grave Robber hopping from it's growing stone to wait at the side for further orders. "Next," he continued, giving his monster a steady nod, "I offer Little Winguard as sacrifice, and summon this..!" The winguard was vanishing into dust as he gave a slow and still shaken nod... The card was placed on the field but his eyes remained set forward, even as the sand and light took form at his side, replacing the Winguard's image on the carving with that of a great and powerful swordsman. Now... "Th' brave warrior... DIVINE KNIGHT ISHZARK!"
In an explosion of light the smoke and dust cleared from the air, the Highbrain across from him widening his eyes a moment as his summoner stared. Standing at his side now was a monster garbed in blue-white leather and metal, a blade almost as large as himself in his hand. His helm shielded his eyes from sight, and in a manner almost similar to the Winguard before it there were metal 'wing' decorations along the edges of his wear. Taking a single step forward he looked down, eyes barely visible from the side and from beneath his gear. "...You had her worried," he eventually said, Katsuya turning in slight shock as the Knight went on. "The Winguard..." Eh- The winguard-
Wait what. "Wai', he's a she," he muttered, watching as the monster stepped forward again and raised his blade. "O-Oi, what th' hell..!" Answer him damn it! "OI!"
"...Who are you talking to," Pete muttered, following his opponent's gaze with a frown.
"Ignore him," Honda responded.
"What-"
"ATTACK!"
"EH!"
Ishzark was already charging, and as the warrior approached Pete's expression shifted into a humored smirk. The order to attack had never been properly announced really, but in all honesty it never had to be... For as the blade came swinging toward the Highbrain, it faded from sight, leaving the sword to meet nothing but air. "Ny- What th' hell-"
What was- "Nyhahahahaha... Whoops," Pete said with a laugh, the tablet at his side carving into existence. There was nothing but a clock and a grid on its front... Yet as he stared at the stone a moment longer a white smoke faded from it, slowly taking form once again. "Too bad," his opponent sighed. "You triggered my trap." Trap..? Katsuya scowled as the Highbrain took form again, fists clenched tight. Already the details of the spell were coming to mind, the monster before him slowly stepping back into position. "Hehehe... I activated 'Teletemporator'- moving Highbrain forward in time to my Main Phase and out of your sight!" Ishzark's blade dug into the ground as it crashed beneath its weight in the meantime, the monster looking up at Highbrain as the mute being smirked.
'A pity,' it murmured within his mind, Ishzark biting back a snarl in response. 'The Winguard's trainer will have to wait his turn again...' Wait his-
Wait, what was this about trainers and masters and... "Bite your tongue Highbrain," the monster growled. "You're the one attacking without care..."
'And I was supposed to know I was facing the first true 'sensitive' since years before?' This again? What?
"I swear to the Gods when I get my sword out..!" What the hell were they arguing about, what-
"Nn-hn!" Eh? "Are you listening?"
Katsuya jerked his attention back to Pete, the man shaking his head as his opponent coughed. "Er..."
"Hn! Obviously you missed it," he muttered, almost huffing at the fact. "I said your combo is useless; your attack missed, and now it's my turn! You have just as many lifepoints remaining as your monster has attack power... So prepare to fall on your own sword," he laughed, pointing his hand forward with a snap. "It all ends this turn, 'Jonouchi'!" His own sw-
Shit, it'd be 'VS Malik' all over if that connected..! "J-Jou-"
Crap crap crap- "ATTACK HIGHBRAIN," he heard Pete roar. "HAND FORCE!" Three...
The tablets were crumbling to dust, and the Graverobber had vanished from sight.
Two...
The blond narrowed his eyes, watching as the hands approached the knight that again stood by his side, Ishzark bracing himself for the worst...
One...
And the hands missed.
"Wh... What," Pete hissed, Katsuya snapping his fingers almost lazily with a smirk.
"Hehehehehe... Thanks f'r th' free escape," he laughed, the Graverobber at the side leaning on his equipment and giggling as he watched the results of his handiwork yet again. "Looks like I got th' upper hand again..."
"Gh- That..." Pete looked over his hand, frantically looking for a counter as he realized what was happening. "Shit..." 'Teletemporlator' skipped to the next main phase. "Shit..!" Which gave him time to attack...
"Hehehehe..." Which meant he won. "It's my turn now," Katsuya shouted, opponent scrambling over his cards. "You know what tha' means..?"
"Th... That..."
"My turn," Ishzark snarled, stalking toward the Highbrain as the psychic swallowed.
'Now now... See here,' he stammered, backing away. 'I'm sure we can work this out...'
"Shut up," both Ishzark and Katsuya snarled, the latter pointing forward. "ATTACK... An' watch th' exact thing y' tried t' pr'vent happen righ' now..! Highbrain is destroyed," he spat, Ishzark's blade cleaving through the smoking monster before another word could even be uttered within his mind. "An tha' triggers my trap..! Rengeki... CONNECTED ATTACK," he continued as the blade was pulled up from the ground. Attack twice after dealing damage to lifepoints... "So... Let's go for round two shall we? NOW," he roared, Ishzark swinging the blade forward.
BREAK DOWN DISTORTION..!"
"GHHAHHGGG-!" Pete jumped back, cards flying from his hands in the force of the blade. "H-Hahhh..." A few chips came from the ground before him where the blade sunk in- as the field began to fade he looked from the ground toward Katsuya, swallowing. "You..." His eyes widened as they met with Katsuya's feet, quickly turning upward. "How did you..."
The blond merely chuckled, giving a shrug. "Heh... What c'n I say... I don' fall f'r illusions 'f defeat."
At this Pete's frown seemed to increase, and as the last remains of the battle vanished he shook his head and tried to stand. "No... No, I mean..."
"Jonouchi," Honda said carefully, the blond turning. "...Tell me that cut isn't as bad as it looks..." Cut..?
Looking down at the floor, Katsuya quickly stumbled back and forced back a choked cry. Oh.
That cut. The one that was still bleeding.
The one that got blood all over his shoe. "Ssffff... Shit," he hissed, the remainder of the field evaporating in his panic. "I forgot about that..!"
"You forgot you were stabbed in the freaking gut..!"
"Well it wasn' like las' time, jus'-"
"I'm getting a first aid kit," Pete said flatly, darting off to the side with an almost disturbed frown.
"Firs' aid-" What- "But it isn'-"
Honda grabbed the blond's shoulder, pushing him down to a seated position and shaking his head before stooping down beside him. "Do yourself a favor for once Jonouchi... Take his advice."
"..." For a moment, he wanted to knock Honda aside and say to hell with it but...
'Do it,' he heard a few monsters in his deck growl, the blond sighing in defeat.
He supposed that was a good idea really.
AN: Yea Jou, amazing what taking advice does for you sometimes!
At least he's not going into a coma though. (So much dialogue..!)
In any case, since we still have another update on the contest entries, you can find the entries to vote on below. Keep in mind that if there's a tie at the end, I'm holding another round..!
See what I mean by short? Most of the R chapters will be about the same length, and still have this many duels. I sincerely doubt that, outside the finale, we'll have any less than two-per. So hooray for that?
Actually, this still means there'll be a number of chapters for this arc... And the fact is, it was an entire series...
Now then! There's not much to say this time around, so I suppose the most I can do is jump right into the next section! Some of you will notice that the duels don't follow the order of the manga completely, but that's mostly to keep switching scenes to a minimum; same thing I did for Noa's Virtual World essentially.
So... Without further ado..!
Anonymous Review Responses
Hahaha, glad you like it so far Imadork- lets hope I can keep this up!
Also, thanks for pointing that out for me; thanks to you, I was able to fix it shortly after the update.
This arc in general will probably have more humor in it I find- which is weird, because at its root there's actually just as much shadowy-evilness around the plot as there was in the previous one... At the same time though, I figure it's needed. Too much gloom is never good, and given that Jonouchi can't avoid getting hurt now...
And that's right! More people can see; it's building on a point made in the Duelist Kingdom... Some people can naturally see the monsters they're closest to. It's something I came up with while watching GX actually...
Ohhh, they'll meet again. Not for a while given the 'tower style' that this arc takes, but they definitely meet! Hehehehe...
Oh! You like the visions? I hope you like the next ones as well then- it's something I've been looking forward to for a while, since it's... Well, 'Past!Jou'. I get pretty excited about that, ehehehe...
And OKAY. I'm relieved then.
I've got your first vote recorded; for this round it's only one entry to vote on, but I'll keep the other choices in mind.
Happy you found it interesting Iona! I've got your vote recorded, okay?
In any case, you can be assured that it won't just be Jou's and Yugi's abilities on display here... Hope you enjoy the next round of card professors!
Until next time!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that's still over the moon- Three duels one chapter..! WHAT-
Today's title has everything to do with Jou's duels and nothing to do with Yugi's; the first half (Ze'eb) means Wolf. The second ('Ariy) means 'lion' (What with Klamath looking like a cat and using an antlion and me having a weird thing for puns. Hahaha~).
Such interesting stories...
Some of you will have caught on and figured out who the Behemoth and Ziz are by now- but I won't blame you if you don't, it's weird.
And would you look at that, Past!Jou hated his ability too... (But where did it come from? Well, some people are just... Special. -lame but spoiler-free excuse-)
Funny thing about Yugi's duel by the way, but um... You're not supposed to summon monsters face up in defense mode in reality. Ahahahahaha~
Damn it Yugioh, why do you CHEAT.
Strange thing I noticed. While Kirk Dixon is named after another Intel Codename... So is his trump card. At least, the 'Covington' part. (In Kirk's case, it's his last name that was a codename.)
Klamath's name comes from both a codename and the Klamath Falls, in Oregon. Osler... I'm not sure. But you know, there's a place in Saskatchewan called Osler!
Jou is right to assume that Klamath can't see or hear anything... Same with Honda. However, as you see later, he's still open to believing it; this is actually because besides Tilla, there are in fact others on the team with similar abilities... And while they aren't as strong as Jonouchi's, Klamath can't ignore the dust all over his clothes.
Arijigoku is Japanese for 'Antlion', rather 'Antlion larvae'. They don't really look like ants, but when you can only see the top, and you're Jonouchi...
They're also known as doodle bugs, since they kinda drag their rear ends around when they walk, leaving trails in the sand. Hahahaha...
By the way, they don't have an anus in the larvae stage, so their back ends are full of crap.
Gearfried bleeds! It's a reference to another Gearfried card; Gearfried isn't made of metal, he's just completely covered by it. Jonouchi tells a story about him in the Doma Arc of the anime; Gearfried used to be a damn powerful guy... The problem was, he couldn't control his strength- so he sealed himself in a big ol' metal suit so that he couldn't hurt anyone.
And yet he made his arms swords... Good going there Gearfried.
Klamath's issues with Japanese are brought to you by this popular question... 'Why the hell does everyone in anime speak Japanese/whatever language is doing the dubbing..!' I can stretch it with the Card Professors- in Tilla's case, it's curiosity inspired largely by the greatest duelists being Japanese. Deschutes has relatives (hohohoh~), and Klamath is taking Japanese, but he isn't all the way there... Though he's doing it more or less for the same reason as Tilla.
Kirk's reason makes a little more sense in my head (look at me, trying to make sense of it all...)- he learned it purely for career related reasons. When a majority of the top duelists in the world are in Japan, and you're a duelist, you learn Japanese damn it.
By the way, Pete's into J-Rock. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. (In other words, he learned it because he's a nerd. HAHAHAHAAAA. I'm sorry.)
Since the tubes in this room are filled with test holograms rather than actual duel monsters, Jonouchi doesn't see any duel monster spirits- which is probably for the best, since they'd be stuck in the glass. In any case, now you can finally figure out how realistic the holograms actually are! They're close... Just not quite there. It's the lighting that really gives them away.
Obake is basically Japanese for monster, goblin, ghost etc etc... In other words, that's what Jou's screaming. 'Ghost'. I left it as is however, if only because every time I tried to put 'ghost' there I thought of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo.
'Rengeki' is Japanese for 'connected attack' (Ren being chain or connection, and geki, or 'utsu' meaning 'to attack', or 'to shoot at'.) Sometimes I just don't put the translation in the chapter. (-shrug-)
Technically, the card was called 'Future Foretelling Eye', but... Well, I stuck with this one.
'Coppermine' gets his last name from the 'Coppermine River', along with (you guessed it!) another Intel codename.
As a matter of fact, yes, Jou did just shrug off Winguard's attack. It's more of a graze; it looks bad, but it really isn't... And by the time they get to the end of the duel, it's about as bad as a paper cut. The trick is partially that all the fabric was still there- it acted as a weak (very weak) bandage, and combined with the number of points he had left it had little effect.
Poor Winguard though...
Seriously though! The armor on Ishzark has wings similar to the Winguard... I couldn't help but notice that. Pity Ishzark won't appear too much though... I'll see where I can slip him again, but since he appeared initially in R, anything before R didn't have Ishzark...
This includes any other arc Jou's deck is in, sooooo...
In the end of the duel you see here, Jou originally had a line worthy of CSI... 'Y'ou lost 'cause you were seduced... By the illusion of your victory.'
I can picture the Miami shades coming on and off, on and off...
WHAT WHAT WHAT- Ishizark, what did you say?
I see Ishizark and Winguard in a sort of mentor/apprentice relationship now that I see similarities in their armor... Bad habit I guess. They certainly aren't dating/related or something weird... I try to keep that kind of thing out.
Mostly to give Ishizark an excuse to come back. (So really, I'm being a dork again.)
FanArt and My Art Section
Just a reference piece today..! We have the next two duelists (since Klamath was on the last one), and a nice shot of Ishzark and the Winguard!
Reference: Professors and Monsters – http : / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ NewSketch. Jpg – Only the duelists are coloured..! Mostly because it took me AGES to finish Ishzark and his crazy top-heay self. AUGH. Also, guest appearance from the Lycanthrope! Hooray~
Musical Notes
Where I give you whatever I was listening to while I typed!
Two songs today...
The first is 'Ama no Jaku' or 'A Born Coward'- it's originally sung by Gumi, but I think I've listened to maybe four different covers by now... In any case, I found it suited Jou quite a bit myself, at least in regards to romance. (Some reason, one of the covers make me think of Seto though...)
Arguably, at least one of these covers will sound like Jonouchi's voice actors, so here's to finding it again... (It's on 'Amonderevex's channel.)
The second is actually Calc- rather, the Piano cover. It's a really nice sounding cover... While it's another romance-y one, and does somewhat remind me of Kaiba though, I don't really think it matches the chapter... I just happened to find it. (This is me, being my usual 'ignore the subs a moment' self, hahahah.)
Contest Section
These are the entries you can vote on, but be warned; results will be posted within a week, so vote while you can!
Remember, each one is separated by a line!
FROM MAGGIE MAY:
The story of Yu-gi-oh! with an X twist. One little letter - X instead of Y - and you have a whole new game. Yugi may still be king but Seto is definitely queen, with Jounouchi as her court (and courting) jester and jack of all trades.
Ever wonder why Seto acts like he has constant PMS? There is an explanation. Jounouchi and the gang learn that gender really doesn't matter. Or does it? Retelling of the Yu-gi-oh! Series – with one little difference that changes everything.
FROM IMADORK:
Jounouchi 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 that Kaiba's a girl. Wait, what?
FROM JADEJ.J:
Seto Kaiba has secrets that run skin deep but when Jou gets drawn in all bets are off. Both teens' dark secrets come to the surface & life changing experiences that will take them into dark secrets of Duel Monsters that no one knows.
FROM SORA KOHAKU:
After a extra credit project goes almost too well Jonouchi finds himself getting closer to his classmate Kaiba. Too close. Living in the same house too close. For every thing that starts going right for him there's another going wrong.
Curiosity couldn't possibly kill him, though Jonouchi doesn't doubt that given the chance Seto Kaiba would. It's just his luck that Mokuba Kaiba likes him so much.
Jonouchi Katsuya was the exception to the 'no jobs' rule at school. Jonouchi Katsuya also happened to be the great exception to the 'normal' rule when it came to children's card games.
Jou had a hunch- just a hunch nothing else- that Seto Kaiba was hiding something. It's just his luck that he was right.
Annnd that's all for this week everyone! Results will be posted with the next chapter; Vote while you can!
Until then, enjoy the chapter..! Bye!