Hey guys. Long time no see right? So, I was supposed to have this chapter up four weeks ago but I just got super busy. I had a lot of homework, and midterms, and assessments, and scholarship auditions to prepare for so it was a busy month. Luckily, things are starting to calm down again. So, since this chapter took longer than usual, I made it extra long to make up for the delay. Thanks to all who have been reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
xxxx
"Come on! Let's get to my duel already!" Joey snapped impatiently, as he glared at the monitor on the wall in front of him. "Enough of da fancy intros."
"Well aren't you just a model of patience?" Tea asked with a small smirk.
"Maybe now would be a good time to go over your game strategy," Yugi said in an attempt to calm his impatient friend. "Some last minute studying couldn't hurt."
"Especially since he's about to get schooled by that freak who took out Weevil and Rex in one move."
"Da only thing I'm scared of is dat hairdo. Hey Buddy, Pinky the Clown called, he wants his wig back.
"Like you're in any position to make fun of anyone's hair Joey," Rebecca said nonchalantly as she went through her deck.
"I heard dat!" Joey snapped, turning to glare at the young, blonde duelist.
"Take it down a notch Joey. You're too high strung." Nice going Duke. That was totally the right thing to say, Alissa thought.
"Who ya callin' high strung? I'm cool as a cucumber!"
"Oh yeah, you're real cool."
"I'm not in the mood Tristan!" Joey's glare snapped to his spikey haired friend as he reached for the collar of his shirt.
"You want a piece of me?" The two began to push each other around.
"Would you two stop it? Can you two ever grow up?" Tea asked, stepping forward to break apart the two bickering boys.
"He started it!" They shouted defensively.
"Shut up and sit down both of you!" Alissa snapped, growing irritated with the boys' bickering. Joey and Tristan could tell by Alissa's voice that she meant business. They mumbled an apology then sat down.
"Hey Leon, you okay?" Tea asked, noticing how tense the freckled boy standing next to her was. Leon snapped out of his daze and turned to Tea with a small smile on his face.
"Yeah. I guess I just have a case of the pre-duel jitters."
"Don't worry Leon, I'm sure you'll kick butt."
"Alissa is right. Ya can't be dat bad if ya made it to dis far. Ya just gotta believe dat you're gonna win," Joey stood from his seat to join in offering encouragement to the small, magenta haired duelist.
"That's just the thing. I'm afraid to win because then I'll have to face off against Yugi."
"Listen Little Buddy, just take it one duel at a time."
"Joey is right. It's too early to worry about the championship duel now. Besides, you're going to need to duel me before you get a chance to duel Yugi."
"You're right. Just make sure you go easy on me okay Beck? I've seen you in battle and you can be pretty brutal!" The door to the competitors' waiting room opened and Mokuba stepped in, flanked by two members of security.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road!"
"Alright! Finally!" Joey cheered, following the other duelists as the left the room. He approached Zigfried with a kind smile.
"Hey, it's Zigfried right? I just wanted ta wish ya luck out 'dere today." He offered his hand to his opponent in a good luck shake. Zigfried looked at Joey's hand as if it carried a disease.
"Hmph. Unlike you, I don't depend on luck to vin my duels," he sneered before flipping his long, pink hair over his shoulder and exiting the room. Joey stared at his competitor's back before clenching his fist and letting out a low growl.
"Hey! I was tryin' ta be nice!" Joey yelled, as he ran out of the room to confront Zigfried. He ran in front of Zigfried and blocked his path.
"Where I come from, ya show your opponents some respect." The other duelist merely laughed and moved around the hotheaded blond.
"Hey Zigfreak! Maybe ya didn't hear me-." Joey started, running after the duelist. He put a hand on Zigfried's shoulder, intent on turning him around and giving him a piece of his mind. He let out a startled shout when he found himself being flung to the floor.
"Don't touch the suit," Zigfried said nonchalantly as he continued down the hall. Joey pulled himself to his feet and growled.
"Oh, I'll touch more den dat!"
"Joey don't!" Yugi's voice rang out across the hall as Joey's friends finally vacated the waiting room.
"If I vere you Herr Joseph, I'd listen to my little friend."
"Well, I've got news for ya, you're not me!"
"True, because if I vas I'd be a vorthless street punk vith no talent."
"Dat's it! Bring it on Zigfreak!"
"I've vasted more than enough time on you already. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a duel to win." Joey went to charge after the other duelist until Tristan grabbed him roughly by the shoulders.
"Let it go Joey. Save it for the game!"
"Get offa me!" Joey snapped, twisting out of Tristan's grip and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Who does he think he is? I'm gonna beat the designer pants off dat chump!"
"Be careful Joey." Joey grumbled several obscenities under his breath as he strode away to the site of his next duel.
"He needs to calm down. The duel hasn't even started yet and he's already letting that guy get inside his head."
"Well, I guess I better get to my duel now too," Rebecca sighed.
"What's wrong Rebecca?"
"I know that Joey really needs you. But that means you won't be able to watch me Yugi."
"My heart goes out to you," Tea said sarcastically. Alissa elbowed Tea lightly in the ribs and tried to bite back an amused grin.
"But don't worry! I'm planning to stay in this tournament till the end so you'll have plenty more opportunities to come cheer for me!" The blonde smiled at Yugi then walked off in the direction of her duel.
"Go get 'em Rebecca!" Yugi cheered with a kind smile.
"Come on guys," Tristan said, starting to walk in the opposite direction. "Joey's gonna need all the help he can get if he's dueling Zigfreak."
"You're right. Let's go."
"Yugi wait. I need to speak to you right away." The sound of the younger Kaiba's voice had the group turning to face the raven-haired teen.
"What is it Mokuba?" Yugi asked wearily, sensing the worry in Mokuba's voice.
"Have you guys noticed any strange behavior coming from any of the competitors?"
"I don't think so. Why what's going on?"
"You have to promise not to tell anyone. If word of this got out it could ruin the Grand Championship and our company for good." The group listened as Mokuba explained his brother's suspicion of the hacker being one of the competitors.
"So who do you think it is Mokuba?"
"I don't have the slightest clue. That's why I need your help. You gotta let me know if you notice anything strange."
"Will do Little Kaiba."
"We'll be glad to help. But you do realize that strange things happen to us all the time right?"
"I wish this time would've been different. Just once I want to duel in a tournament for the thrill of it and not worry about having to catch bad guys."
"Don't worry Yugi, there's no way I'm going to let some punk ruin our championship!"
"You can count on us Mokuba."
"Now what do ya say we go cheer Joey on?"
"Yeah. Let's go!"
xxx
The duel between Joey and Zigfried was only two turns in when something bizarre started to happen. The volcanoes in the volcanic pit attraction where the duel was taking place began to erupt violently. Chunks of burning debris and flames flew through the air. The ground shook under the group's feet, sending some of them off balance.
"What the hell is happening?"
"How about you turn down the flames a little?"
"There's one problem you guys. This isn't part of the attraction!"
"What? Mokuba you have to be joking? If Kaiba Corp isn't controlling those flames then who is?"
"That's what I'd like to know Tea." The group frowned and turned their attention back to their dueling friend.
"I play Brigadier of Landstar in Attack Mode. Next, to juice him up a bit I play the Magic Card, Landstar Shot, which boosts his power by six hundred. Alright Little Buddy, attack Zigfried directly!"
"Hold your fire you little munchkin. I have a Trap Card. It's called Wotan's Judgment and it stops your attack instantly. That's because it let's me svitch any Magic Card in my hand vith the top card of my deck and reshuffle. If that's vhat you consider you're best game then you won't last much longer!"
"Just make your move wise guy!"
"Someone is all fired up. I play Pot of Greed. Next I play Erda's Guidance. As the Goddess of Knowledge she controls the past, present, and future. The Graveyard is the past, the field is the present, and my hand is the future. Now, I can move one card from my hand to the graveyard and exchange I can transfer one Trap Card from the grave to the field. I end my turn for now."
"I sacrifice my Brigadier of Landstar so I can summon Jinzo! Thanks to Jinzo's special ability, all of your Trap Cars are useless. Attack dis chump directly Jinzo!" Jinzo's attack hit, bringing Zigfried's life points down to 1600.
"Alright Joey!"
"You show him man!"
"You vere much better off when I was ignoring you Herr Joseph. But zat's over because now you've gotten my attention! Your defeat starts now! I activate the Magic Card, Ride of the Valkyries! Auf Wiedersehen Herr Joseph!"
xxx
Unfortunately, Joey ended up losing the duel. It was a close duel and when Joey drew his Red Eyes Black Dragon, it looked like he was going to win. He had 800 life points left and Zigfried only had 100. Unfortunately, Joey's luck ran out. Literally. To negate an attack that would destroy the rest of his life points, Joey played the Trap Card Compensation Mediation, forcing Zigfried to take two cards from his Graveyard and place them facedown on the field. If Joey had chosen Compensation Mediation out of the three cards, the attack would've been negated and he could've won. However, the blond duelist's luck ran out and he picked a card other than Compensation Mediation, allowing the attack on him to continue. The group approached their fallen friend with reassuring smiles.
"You did awesome Joey," Alissa said, kneeling next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Wanna know who the real loser is? Zigfreak is because he thinks that stupid frilly suit looks good." The blond duelist wiped his nose and looked at Alissa with a smile.
"Thanks Alissa."
"It's okay Joey. You just ran out of luck," Duke said with a smile.
"Come on guys. Joey doesn't win his duels because of luck. He wins his duels because of his talent."
"Oh I get it Tea. So you're saying Joey didn't lose cause he has no luck. He lost cause he has no talent." Joey flashed a glare at his spike haired friend.
"Dat's how you guys cheer me up? I'll show you!" He started chasing Tea, Tristan, and Duke around in a circle. They all laughed, trying to keep their distance from the enraged duelist. Alissa's phone vibrated in her pocket, pulling her attention away from her goofy friends. New Message: Rich Boy:) Alissa unlocked her phone and read the message. Everything is under control now. Are you alright? Alissa couldn't help but smile. Even though he was busy running a tournament, Seto made it clear that Alissa's well being was still very important to him. I'm perfectly fine. Are you busy? I need to talk to you. His reply came almost instantly. This sounds serious. Are you sure everything is okay? Alissa frowned as she remembered how calm Zigfried had acted when the attraction went haywire. He acted as if he knew it was going to happen. Something in her gut told her something was off about him. I just have something really important to tell you. Not long after the conversation with Seto, Alissa said goodbye to her friends; promising to catch up with them in a bit, and headed towards the control room. When she reached the control room she knocked.
"What is it?" Alissa entered when she heard his voice.
"It's me." She sat in the chair next to him as he looked out at the Kaiba Dome that was filled with spectators.
"So Wheeler lost his duel."
"Yeah, unfortunately. I was hoping he'd put Zigfreak in his place. That's actually why I'm here. I think Zigfried is the hacker."
"I know Zigfried is the hacker."
"I mean I know it's probably wrong to jump to conclusions bu-wait you already know? How?"
"Let's just say we go way back. I'm having an extensive investigation done on Zigfried Lloyd as we speak." Alissa looked at him and noticed the deep bags under his eyes for the first time.
"Are you okay? You look exhausted."
"I'm fine."
"When was the last time you slept? And I mean actually slept. Not just dozed off for twenty minutes."
"Tuesday."
"You haven't slept in two days?"
"Stop worrying about my health will ya? I get enough of that from Mokuba."
"Maybe if you took better care of yourself we wouldn't have to worry."
"I'm fine. I had other things to worry about." She sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with him. If he wanted to work himself into exhaustion, there was no stopping him.
"Fine. Work yourself to death. See if I care." Seto frowned. He didn't realize that his lifestyle was worrying her. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her.
"Alissa."
"What?" He turned in his chair to face her.
"I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine."
"Okay. I trust your judgment." She still looked unsure.
"Come here." She complied and nestled right up to his chest. His strong arms wrapped around her as he rested his chin on top of her head.
"You give me anxiety on a regular basis. You know that don't you?"
"Perhaps we should have the doctor prescribe you some Xanax then." His witty response made her smile.
"Oh! I have something for you." She paused to pull herself out of his embrace. "Close your eyes." He frowned at her.
"Are you serious?"
"Close your eyes." He sighed but complied.
"You know sometimes I forget that you're eighteen."
"Oh shut up Rich Boy. Now no peeking." She pulled her hoodie off over her head and started fiddling with the Blue Eyes pin that was connected to her plain, white t-shirt.
"Now hold out your hand." He extended his hand to her. She placed the pin in his hand and curled his fingers around it. His eyebrows furrowed when he felt the cool, sharp edges.
"What is this?"
"You can open now." He opened his eyes and uncurled his fingers. His gaze fell on the silver pin.
"Alissa-."
"You told me to return it when I could remember you. I would've given it back sooner but the Dartz thing kind of took our full attention." The corners of his lips stretched up into a weak smile.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
xxx
Alissa sat with her group of friends and listened as Roland announced the finalists of the Kaiba Corp. Grand Championship.
"I can't believe Zigfreak made it to da finals. Dat should be me!" Alissa zoned out on her friends' conversation as she stared at Zigfried. She had yet to hear back from Seto about Zigfried's background check, but a part of her knew that the background check wasn't necessary. Anyone could tell that he was bad news by the sinister smirk that always graced his rather feminine features.
"Alissa." Mokuba's voice snapped her out of her trance.
"Hm?"
"Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah. I'm fine Little Kaiba. I just zoned out for a minute. Were you guys saying something?"
"We were just saying that-." The nearly deafening sound of a helicopter cut Yugi's response short and dragged the stadium's attention to the sky. One of Kaiba Corp.'s helicopters was hovering over the stadium. Seto held on to a ladder that hung outside the helicopter.
"What's he doin' here?" Joey asked, not bothering to hide his lack of excitement for seeing the brunet CEO.
"Maybe he's just stopping by?" Tea offered.
"Yeah, but why? Seto wasn't scheduled to be here today." The tone in Mokuba's voice revealed that he was just as confused as everyone else. Seto jumped down from above and landed firmly on two feet.
"Stop the duel! As President of Kaiba Corp, I declare the match invalid." Gasps were heard from the audience. The surprised exclamations quickly turned to booing.
"He can't rip us off like dat."
"As the result of a disqualification, the winner of the duel is Leon Wilson."
"Any particular reason for this?" Zigfried asked with an amused smirk. "Humor me."
"You broke your tournament contract by entering the event under a false name Zigfried Lloyd. Or should I say, Zigfried Von Schroder of the Schroder Corporation."
"Schroder Corp? Wasn't that an old gaming company Grandpa?" Yugi asked, turning in his seat to face his elder.
"Actually it still is. You just don't hear much about it anymore. Once Kaiba Corp became number one, Schroder Corp. was kind of forgotten about."
"You think Zigfried joined to get revenge?
"I wouldn't doubt it Tea. Zigfreak is a jerk."
"I never trusted you Zigfried. Kaiba Corp's biggest rival joins the tournament and then suddenly everything starts going haywire? Coincidence? I think not. But since I'm such a nice guy, I won't have you arrested for trespassing and fraud. Under one condition, you get out of my life for good! And take your bad hair with you! If your overpriced shoes step near me again I'll destroy what's left of your pathetic company!" Zigfried laughed as if he'd just been told a joke.
"It looks like you've finally been exposed to the public for vhat you are. A coward." Seto growled at him and Zigfried's smirk widened. He tossed his pink hair over his shoulder before continuing.
"The truth is, you're afraid of my superior skills so you're hiding behind a technicality instead of facing me. Now the whole vorld knows you're a coward! Now that I think about it, I don't blame you for throwing me out Herr Kaiba. You know that if I von this tournament and became the vorld champion, you vould never vin that title back." I'm so kicking this guy's ass when he gets off that stage, Alissa thought as she clenched her fists.
"I'm kicking you out because I don't like you. Not because I'm scared of you," Seto responded in an icy tone. "You know Zigfried, I promised I wouldn't duel in the tournament but since I have the chance to humiliate you, those plans have changed!"
"Kaiba's going to duel Zigfried," Yugi said, his eyes wide.
"Yeah and he's going to kick that freak's a-," Alissa paused and looked at Mokuba and Rebecca before continuing. "Butt."
"Fine Herr Kaiba. But if I vin, I get to stay."
"And if you lose you disappear, never to be heard from again."
"I don't know about this you guys."
"Stop being a worry wart, Yugi. Seto will be fine."
"That's right. Seto's going to blast him to the minor leagues!"
"Last chance Zigfried, you sure you want to go through with this?" Seto's voice held its usual condescending tone. He wore his trademark smirk.
"Absolutely. How could I pass this up? It's not every day that I get to destroy my arch rival in front of the entire vorld." The duo met in the middle of the dueling field and began to shuffle each other's decks. After a coin toss, it was decided that Seto would go first. They glared at each other before turning on their heels and returning to their respective sides.
"It looks like we have a change of plans Ladies and Gentlemen. Your tournament host, Seto Kaiba, will face off against Zigfried Von Schroder."
"Seto!" Mokuba called from his seat with a big smile. "Time to show this circus freak whose boss!" Leon suddenly appeared next to the group of friends.
"Oh hey Leon," Yugi greeted with a smile.
"I'm a little confused. Am I dueling you or Zigfried?"
"I guess it depends on how Kaiba does in this duel."
"I hope he wins." Alissa noticed Leon's nervousness and smiled at him.
"Share a seat with me Leon." She moved over in her seat so the small duelist would have room to sit. He smiled in appreciation before plopping down right next to the dark haired girl.
"I wouldn't worry about it Leon," Tea said with a reassuring smile. "No matter who wins, I'm sure you'll still get your chance to duel Yugi."
"Ya know, as much as I can't stand Kaiba, anyone is better dan dat sideshow freak Zigfried." Tea nodded in agreement at Joey's statement.
"The Grand Championship bonus match is about to begin!" Roland's voice echoed through the stadium.
"Here we go," Alissa muttered.
"Let's duel!"
xxx
The spectators watched as the duel between the two young multibillionaires. Alissa flashed her gaze from Seto, to Zigfried, then back again. Seto currently had 1100 life points and Zigfried had 2500. Seto had his XYZ-Dragon Cannon, but due to Zigfried's Nibelung's Ring, he couldn't attack. He also had one card facedown. Zigfried had Fortune Chariot and Valkyrie Zweite on his side of the field and was using them to slowly pick away at Seto's life points.
"This isn't looking good guys."
"Valkyrie Zweite, attack Herr Kaiba's life points directly!" The pink haired warrior let out a battle cry before charging forward towards her target.
"Not so fast. I activate my Trap card, Attack Guidance Armor. Now your attack is redirected back to your own monster!" A silver suit of armor appeared on Zigfried's other Valkyrie and his Valkyrie Zweite charged for it.
"I have a Trap card of my own. I activate Wontan's Judgment so my Valkyrie is safe. How you may ask? By svitching one Magic card from my hand vith the top card of my deck, I am instantly able to end the battle phase of my turn. It seems Fate vas good to me. I've assembled three of my most powerful cards. Now, say hello to Goddess Urd's Verdict, Goddess Verdandi's Guidance, and Goddess Skuld's Oracle."
"Oh no."
"Dose names are nothin' but bad news," Joey growled with a frown.
"He played those last time and they almost destroyed your deck," Yugi nodded in agreement.
"Look Zigfried, that stupid strategy may have worked on a dork like Wheeler, but I'm in a different league."
"Vhy von't ve let my Goddesses be the judge of that by having a look at the top three cards of your deck? Goddess Skuld, show me what destiny holds for Herr Kaiba!" Zigfried's eyes widened in shock when the effect of his Magic card showed him what three cards were on top of Seto's deck.
"By the expression on your face, I'm guessing that my destiny looks pretty good."
"You were doomed the minute you decided to duel me Herr Kaiba. Now, I call upon my Goddess Verdandi! It's time for me to guess your top card. I'll say it's a monster." Seto drew the card and stared down at the Blue Eyes White Dragon that was now in his hand.
"Gee, how'd you ever guess?"
"Just place it on the field in Defense Mode."
"Sure. Whatever."
"Now, by correctly predicting the identity of that monster, I'll be able to remove it from the game. I predict the card you just played is your Blue Eyes White Dragon!" The white dragon revealed itself then disappeared with an ear-shattering roar. The spectators gasped.
"It's gone," Mokuba exclaimed.
"This is bad." Worry was evident in the star-haired duelist's voice.
"Why the long face Herr Kaiba? Oh yes, I just destroyed your favorite monster."
"I'll take it from here."
"Hold on! Your dragon is vearing my ring so the card you just drew goes straight to the graveyard!" Seto turned his card and revealed it to be the second Blue Eyes White Dragon and then placed it in the graveyard.
"Since you can't attack, I assume that ends your turn."
"Well you assume wrong. I play Monster Reborn."
"You vhat?" Zigfried had a look of terror on his face as he spoke.
"Now, show yourself Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Seto's signature monster appeared on the field with a mighty roar.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Mokuba cheered.
"In your face Zigfreak!" Joey shouted.
"No one comes between me and my Blue Eyes and anyone who is foolish enough to try pays the price!" Blue Eyes released a burst of white light from its fanged mouth. The light exploded through the air in the direction of Zigfried's Valkyrie Zweite. At the last second, his Valkyrie jumped from the carriage. The carriage was destroyed, but Zigfried's Valkyrie was left completely unharmed.
"What happened?"
"I sacrificed my chariot so my Valkyrie Zweite remains unharmed." Zigfried's life points dropped to 1100 as he said this.
"But your life points don't! It looks like the same old story Zigfried. I rise to the top and you get lost in my shadow!" Zigfried growled in anger.
"Ve vill see! Now I evoke the power of my three goddesses. Show me his top three cards!"
"Oh no not this again," Alissa groaned.
"Place the third card on the top of your deck. Now, all I have to do is call its name and that monster is removed from the game. That card is Luster Dragon Number Two!" A green dragon revealed itself before disappearing, much like the Blue Eyes did last turn.
"Next I activate the card known as Gryphon's Feather Duster. First, it takes away every Trap or Magic card on my side of the field. Then it gives me five hundred extra life points for each one!" Zigfried's life points climbed back up to their previous 2600.
"He just got back every point that Blue Eyes took away!"
"To conclude my turn, I sacrifice my Valkyrie Erste and Valkyrie Zweite to summon my Valkyrie Brunhilde in Defense Mode." A blue haired woman on horseback appeared on Zigfried's side of the field.
"Oh, and I hate to ruin the surprise, but the next card you'll draw is a monster and unfortunately for you, it von't last long."
"Do I care? No."
"Vell you should. I activate Nibelung's Ring!"
"Whatever. I didn't need that card anyway. Not when I have Blue Eyes. Attack now!" The attack hit Zigfried's monster but to everyone's shock, she remained unharmed.
"Thanks to Brunhilde's special ability, she escaped completely unharmed. All I had to do was lower her defense points."
"I lay this face down. That ends my turn."
"Vhat a vaste of a move."
"Pretty soon your girlfriend is gonna run out of points Zigfried and when she does my dragon will be waiting!"
"But by then I'll have von. Speaking of vinning, vatch as I end this duel right now! I svitch Brunhilde to Attack Mode. Her strength increases by three hundred for every dragon on the field. Next I'll play the Magic card, Enchanted Sword Nothung!" Valkyrie Brunhilde's sword was replaced with a larger one. Her sword began to glow a deep blue. It shot out a light that connected with Seto's Blue Eyes and destroyed it.
"Kaiba's Blue Eyes is gone!"
"Yeah, but how?"
"Not only does my Enchanted Sword remove all dragon's from the field, but it also gives my maiden a boost! Tell me Herr Kaiba, vhat's it like to be a vashed up has been?"
"Why don't you tell me?"
"I activate the card Pegasus Wings! Now all I have to do is cut my Brunhilde's strength in half, then I can attack you directly!" Brunhilde's attack points dropped to 1100, which was just enough to finish Seto off.
"Brunhilde attack!"
"I'll weaken her with my Shrink card!" As Brunhilde drew closer to Seto, her points dropped to 550.
"And she'll weaken you!" Zigfried laughed. The attack hit, bringing Seto's life points down to 550.
"This is what I like to call pay back!"
"What's your problem Zigfried? Are you jealous because I run a successful company and you don't?"
"Don't you play dumb. You know as vell as I do vhat this is about." The crowd listened as Zigfried told the story of the bitter rivalry between the Kaibas and the Schroders. He went on to explain how he had come up with holographic dueling technology, but when he went to share his invention with Pegasus, it had been too late.
"You stole my invention and took all the credit, leaving me vith nothing!" The crowd gasped.
"That can't be true can it?" Yugi asked.
"Justice vill be served Herr Kaiba! Your company's reputation is in jeopardy and the stock price of Kaiba Corp is at an all time low. Vhen I defeat you, the vorld vill see that the era of Kaiba Corp is over!"
"You really believe that?"
"Of course I do. In fact, I bet they've already turned on you. Now that you've finally been revealed to the public as a thief and a fraud!"
"Too bad it isn't true. Don't blame me because you came from a family of failures. I've never stolen anything in my life. I've gotten where I am today because of my hard work and determination. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to know anything about that. Now let's finish this duel and maybe this time when I knock you down you'll stay down! My move!"
"Remember, vhatever monster cards you draw go straight to the graveyard."
"Not if I activate the card Graceful Charity! That allows me to draw three more cards then get rid of two."
"Awesome! Dat's showin' him Rich Boy!" I never thought I'd see the day where Joey would cheer for Seto, Alissa thought with a small grin.
"I discard these two," Seto held up two cards to Zigfried, which were his Blue Eyes and Cloning card.
"Vhat? Your Blue Eyes? Vhy?"
"Just watch! Next I remove my Blue Eyes and Pitch-Dark Dragon from the game, which allows me to summon this! My Chaos Emperor Dragon!"
"My Enchanted Sword slays every dragon on the field!"
'Oh yeah, well not this one. My dragon's special ability sends every card on the field and in our hands to the graveyard!"
"True, but there's one problem. You need to give up one thousand life points first and you can't afford that now."
"There's nothing I can't afford. First I play this," Seto paused to face a card face down. "Then I play Emergency Provisions so by sending a Magic or Trap card to the graveyard, I gain one thousand life points!" Seto's face down card was destroyed, increasing his life points to 1550.
"Now I give up one thousand life points to activate my dragon's special ability!" Seto's life points dropped to 550 as his dragon attacked. Every monster on the field was destroyed, dropping Zigfried's life points to 1100.
"Your move Zigfried."
"I activate the Magic card Pot of Greed. Next I'll activate my Magical Alms card. The first thing this card does is raise my life points by one thousand. Next, ve have to predict the number of Magic cards ve think ve vill use each turn. Each of us will gain five hundred life points for each card. However, if you use fewer than the number you guess, you lose one thousand life points per card. You know vhat that means don't you Herr Kaiba? One mistake and you're through! Now I play Final Light and I predict that's the only Magic card I'll use." Each player gained 500 hundred life points, leaving Zigfried with 2600 and Seto with 1050.
"For the cost of one thousand life points, I can summon one monster from my graveyard and I chose Valkyrie Brunhilde! Of course, you are also permitted to draw a monster from your graveyard."
"I chose my Cave Dragon."
"Thank you Herr Kaiba. Because of your dragon, my Valkyrie gets a three hundred-point boost. And now Brunhilde, attack his Cave Dragon!" Seto's life points dropped to 950.
"Now Herr Kaiba, how many Magic cards to you predict you vill use? You can't afford to guess vrong."
"I won't. I predict that I'll use four." Zigfried's life points increased to 3600 and Seto's increased to 2950.
"Four cards? But you're only holding one card in your hand."
"That's about to change. First I play Card of Demise which allows me to draw until I'm holding five cards and in five turns I discard my entire hand."
"Oh no," Zigfried gasped.
"Next I play Soul Release, which allows me to chose a card from the graveyard to remove form the game and I chose my Chaos Emperor Dragon. Then I'll play Spell Reproduction. This card allows me to send two Magic cards to my graveyard in order to bring back one."
"No, you can't!"
"I just did Zigfried. And now, at a cost of two thousand life points, I play my forth Magic card, Dimension Fusion! Now each of us can bring back any monsters removed from the game!" Seto's Chaos Emperor Dragon, Luster Dragon #2, and his three Blue Eyes appeared on his side of the field.
"How foolish," Zigfried laughed. "Don't you remember that for every dragon on the field, my Valkyrie gets a three hundred point boost?" Zigfried's monster's points increased to 3300.
"Luster Dragon Number Two attack his Valkyrie now!" Seto's monster was destroyed and his life points dropped to 50.
"Seto!"
"Oh no! Why'd he do that?"
"You've given up! You should've known you vere no match for me Herr Kaiba!" Valkyrie Brunhilde's attack points dropped to 3000.
"Hey look, with one les dragon on da field, his Valkyrie's points dropped," Joey replied.
"I'm not done yet Zigfried. Chaos Emperor Dragon it's your turn!" His dragon attacked. The attack bounced off Brunhilde's shield and collided with his dragon. Since both monsters were equal in strength, Seto's life points remained unharmed.
"Blue Eyes attack with White Lightning!" One of his Blue Eyes attacked, destroying itself and Brunhilde's shield in the process.
"Oh no!"
"Your Valkyrie's powers are all used up Zigfried, which means my second Blue Eyes can destroy her now!" The dragon's attack hit, destroying Zigfried's monster and dropping his life points to 3000.
"No, now I'm completely defenseless!"
"I'm glad you came here Zigfried cause now I get the chance to publicly humiliate you again! Now take it away Blue Eyes!"
"No!" Zigfried cried as the attack hit, bringing his life points down to zero. He dropped to his knees with his teeth clenched.
"This isn't over."
"Look, your life points reached zero. That's about as over as it gets. So take what little dignity you may have left and get lost!" Seto's voice is what drew the crowd of their shocked daze. A loud roar was released from the crowd.
"Oh yeah Bro! You tell him!"
"He did it! He won!"
xxx
"I bring congratulatory drinks!" Alissa cheered as she entered the control room. Seto brought his gaze away from his laptop screen to look at her.
"Shouldn't you be with your friends?"
"Holy hostility. Why the sour mood? You kicked ass! Besides, Leon and Yugi's duel doesn't start for another half hour so I thought I'd bring you a congratulatory Cave Dragon Café Mocha." She walked to the chair he was sitting in and handed him the cup. He took it with a small smile.
"I appreciate it."
"You're welcome." She suddenly kneeled next to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"What is it now?"
"I'm sorry about everything that asshole caused. The whole thing with Dartz stressed you out enough and then this asshole has to come in and make things worse for you. I'm sorry."
"Don't be stupid. This isn't your fault so don't apologize." He set his coffee next to his laptop so his arms were free to wrap around her waist.
"But this whole thing has been stressing you out. You look exhausted and you've hardly been eating."
"I can handle a few sleepless nights and skipped meals."
"You're going to run yourself ragged." Alissa squeaked when she suddenly found herself being pulled into Seto's lap. He moved one of his hands away from her waist to brush a few stray hairs out of her eyes.
"Alissa look, I'll be fine." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"I know. I'm sorry. I'm being annoying. I just…worry a lot. I remember how much you meant to me and I'm just scared because you're such a huge target and I'm afraid that one day you'll-." He cut her off by placing a small kiss on her temple.
"I'm Seto Kaiba. I'll be fine."
"Pinky swear?" She held up her pinky to him.
"This again? Remind me again how old you are." She frowned and continued to hold out her pinky. He sighed. I can't believe I'm doing this, he thought.
"Will it put your mind at rest?" She nodded with a grin. She knew she had won. "Fine." He wrapped his pinky around hers. "I pinky swear that I'll be okay. Your turn."
"I pinky swear that I'll never forget you again." She pushed her thumb in and kissed it. Seto did the same.
"Should we head over to the duel now?" Seto simply nodded.
"Let's go."
xxxx
Finally the next chapter is done! Ugh this was probably a pretty shitty place to end it but I felt like ending it there was the only place that would make sense. So this chapter is extremely long. Like no joke. It's close to twenty pages long, which I guess for some people isn't very long, but for me that's a novel! Anyhoo! Sorry that this chapter took so long and I apologize if there are any mistakes. I've been short on sleep lately so my brain is dead. Shitty excuse, I know. But let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! Love you guys! Peace out girl scouts!