Dragon Masters from two Different Worlds

Emily looked at the map and saw that she and her friends were getting closer to Blackthorn City. She asked the boys to battle with her to get her Pokémon trained up for their last gym battle. They agreed to help her out and get their Pokémon trained up too. For each battle, opponents would use use two Pokémon.

Kaiba decided to be the first to battle with Emily. He called on Quilava as his first Pokémon. Emily chose Undine as her first Pokémon. This actually wasn't going to be easy for her. Kaiba had carefully trained Quilava to avoid all water-type attacks. Quilava made the first move by engulfing himself in his flames and using Flame Wheel. Undine tried to stop him with her Water Gun, but Quilava was going too fast. He charged into Undine and caused her to crash into a tree. Undine got back on her feet and froze the ground with her Aurora Beam. Quilava's flames melted the ice, but as it turned into water, the flames started to go out. Undine ran into Quilava using Quick Attack. Quilava used Swift to attack from afar. Undine tried to avoid the stars by rolling over in the dirt. She attacked with Water Gun again, but Quilava dodged it and attacked using Flamethrower. Undine got burned from the attack and couldn't stand on her feet anymore. Quilava finished her off with his Swift.

When the battle ended, Quilava began glowing. He was evolving into Typhlosion. Kaiba cheered and gave his Pokémon a high-five. Yugi carefully lifted Undine and carried her over to the tree he was sitting by. He gently set her down and began healing her burns and restoring her energy.

For the next battle, Emily called on Salamando. Kaiba withdrew Typhlosion and called on Onix. He wasn't going to make this battle easy for Emily. No, this was necessary for preparing her for her last gym battle. Salamando engulfed himself in his flames and attacked using Flare Blitz. Onix wrapped Salamando in his grip. After keeping a grip on him, Onix let go of Salamando and tossed him across the battlefield. Salamando got back up and launched his Flamethrower. Onix took the attack, but received no damage. He used Rock Throw and tossed stones at Salamando. He kept running around to avoid getting hit. Onix used his tail to trip Salamado up. After that, he dug a tunnel and burrowed underground. Feeling it in her heels, Emily warns Salamado to watch out. He runs to avoid getting hit, but as Onix emerges, he grabs Salamando with his mouth and uses Bite.

"That's enough!" Emily cried. "Salamando can't take this anymore!"

"Kaiba, stop!" Joey pleaded. "You're taking this too hard!"

Seeing this, Kaiba tells Onix to let Salamando go. Onix sets Salamando down. Kaiba approaches Salamando and rubs his back. "Salamando, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" In answer, Salamando whimpers and smiles weakly. Tears fill Kaiba's eyes. He lifts Salamando from the ground and gently hugs him. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I just wanted to help you get ready for your next battle. The last gym leader is stronger than the rest. I thought battling you with everything I had would help you. But instead, you and your sister got hurt because of me. I'm sorry."

Salamando winces once more. He uses his paw to dry Kaiba's tears. Undine approaches Kaiba as well. She places her front paws on his knees. "Undine and Salamando are saying they forgive you," Emily tells Kaiba. "I'm sorry too. I wasn't prepared for this either. I know your battle methods because I've seen them in action many times before. If I had known it was going to be this hard, I would have thought twice before battling you." She faces her Pokémon and apologizes to them. Salamando and Undine admit that they were overwhelmed by the strength of their opponents, but it did them some good. It gave them an idea of what they would be up against in their battle against the last gym leader.

This was enough excitement for now, so the group decided to press on to Blackthorn City. They finished passing through the forest and came to a lake. When they did, they saw a young woman with sky blue hair tied behind her. She also had an outfit like Kaiba's, except that it was black and her shoes were navy blue and her gloves were also dark. She came to the lake to train with her Pokémon. A Gyarados with a Mega Stone emerged from the lake and got the heroes wet.

The young woman saw this and approached the heroes. "Hey, are you all right?"

"We're okay," Emily insisted. "We just didn't see that coming."

She apologized once again and introduced herself as Clair. "I was just training with my Pokémon and I guess I didn't see you."

"It's all right," said Yugi. "My name is Yugi and these are my friends Joey, Emily, and Kaiba."

Clair's eyes widened. "Not Seto Kaiba," she asked wondrously.

"Guilty," the brunette replied.

Clair lowered herself and bowed respectfully. "It's an honor and a privilege to meet you." Clair had heard about Kaiba's reputation as a champion duelist, but she also remembered that Kaiba was a dragon duelist and Clair was a dragon-type Pokémon trainer. That was why she felt honored to be in his presence. She also happened to be the gym leader of Blackthorn City.

"Excuse me, Clair," Emily inquired. "I was wondering if I could face you in a gym battle?"

"We've been traveling though the Johto Region together," Yugi was telling her. "Emily just needs one more gym badge to qualify for the Johto league."

Clair was impressed to see the gym badges Emily acquired. She gladly accepted Emily's challenge. "It would be an honor to have a battle with a champion duelist who also happens to be a friend of a fellow dragon master."

"Dragon master," Joey echoed. Clearly she was talking about Kaiba. He was a dragon master in the Duel Monsters card game, but not when it came to Pokémon. It made no difference to Clair. She actually kept a collection of Duel Monster cards and they were all dragon-based. Kaiba pulled out his deck and showed her his cards; including his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Clair was even more impressed and amazed. All that she knew about Kaiba and his dueling deck was true. What would make this a great opportunity would be facing him in a game of Duel Monsters and a Pokémon battle. Kaiba agreed that it would be great to have a duel with Clair. However, he didn't have any dragon-type Pokémon. But Emily challenge Clair first, so he decided that it would be best to let them battle first.

There was something Clair had to do first. The was a sacred ritual she had to perform as the Blackthorn gym leader. She had to purify the Dragon Fang that had been passed down in her family for generations. "We ask the universe to bring peace and happiness to all dragons whether they be dragons of the earth, dragons of the sky, or dragons of the water." She cups the water from the lake into her hands and pours it over the Dragon Fang. After that, the Dragon Fang begins emanating a strong aura, taking on the form of a dragon and soaring all the way to the moon. It is said that the dragon force released becomes a star that will watch over all dragon Pokémon and bless all dragon masters.

The ritual was complete, but Clair wasn't ready to face Emily in a gym battle yet. She wanted to show her new friends to a very special place. "Come on," she told the heroes. "There's something I want you guys to see." Clair began leading her friends through the Dragon's Den. It was maze built by the dragon Pokémon to prevent intruders from entering the Dragon's Holy Land. Clair had gone there many times to train with her Pokémon and fellow dragon Pokémon trainers. She felt that a fellow dragon master deserved to see this special place. Kaiba was a fellow dragon master and the others were welcome because they were his friends.

When they came to the Dragon's Holy Land, it reminded the heroes of the time they first came to the Secret Garden. It truly was a beautiful place. "I've been training here for a long time, so all the Pokémon here are my friends," Clair explained.

"It's wonderful," said Emily.

"Feel free to look around, but be careful," Clair warned them. The Dragon's Holy Land contained a sacred shrine. Inside the shrine was the prayer flame. Centuries ago, when Pokémon considered humans their enemies, the shrine was built with the hope that they would one day live together in harmony. The flame has burned for five centuries since the shrine was built. Yugi, Joey, and Emily decided to explore the area.

Kaiba decided to hang around with Clair. "This is a really great place," he told her. "Thanks for bringing us here."

"It was nothing," Clair insisted.

Kaiba got an idea. "While we're here, do you want to have a duel?"

"I'd be honored," she replied. So they took out their decks, sat down, and decided to play a friendly game of Duel Monsters.

As they played, they decided to talk. "So tell me, Kaiba, what made you become so passionate about dragons?"

It was a long story, but he decided to explain. "Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be the best. I wanted to get strong not just for myself, but for my brother. You see, when we were young, our parents died and we've had to fend for each other since then. My brother has looked to me for strength and support all his life. Because of that, I refused to let heart and understanding get in my way. I thought that emotions would interfere with my trying to move ahead. But I loved games and treated every challenge as so. I would get stronger and become a brilliant strategist. When I started playing Duel Monsters, I saw how great the Dragons were and wanted them in my deck because it was like they had a part of me."

"I see," Clair said in acknolegement. "It's the same for Duel Monsters as it is for Pokémon. They represent our souls."

Kaiba nods in agreement. "Just as a trainer and their Pokémon are bound together by their trust in each other, a duelist and his monsters are bound together by the Heart of the Cards."

"Yugi said that all the time in his duels," Clair remembered. "What does that mean?"

"For a long time, I didn't understand either," Kaiba replied. "But as I continued to spend time with Yugi and duel with him, I began to learn what he meant. The cards in our decks represent our hearts and souls. But the monsters have their own souls as well."

Clair was confused. "What do you mean they have their own souls?"

To elaborate, Kaiba asks Clair, "Tell me, have you heard of the age of the Shadow Games?"

She had heard of the story. "According to the story, a great cataclysm brought the world on the brink of ruin, but the royal Egyptian family used their power to stop the dark forces from destroying the world. But it was too much for them. They sacrificed themselves and saved the world from destruction. After that, the world was never the same. The Shadow Creatures became no more and magic was lost." When Clair finished telling the story, Kaiba made his move and defeated her. He used his Blue-Eyes White Dragon to defeat her Spirit Ryu. Clair was impressed. He really was all that she heard about him.

"That's right," said Kaiba. "The truth is, the Shadow Creatures also contained the souls of the people they bonded with." He explains by using the Blue-Eyes White Dragon as an example. "This is my favorite card because we share a bond that goes back for centuries. You see, Clair, a long time ago, there was a young woman with blue eyes and white hair. Her name was Kisara. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon was the beast that dwelled in her soul. One day, she met a sorcerer who served the royal family and they fell in love. They were going to get married until a great tragedy tore them apart. To save the man she loved, Kisara gave up her power knowing it would also cost her her life."

"So the Blue-Eyes White Dragon contains Kisara's spirit?" Clair wondered.

Kaiba nods. "You should also know this: the sorcerer was my ancestor."

Clair's eyes widened. "That's… unbelievable. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I don't believe you."

The brunette understood. "I know. I didn't believe it at first either. But the love my ancestor had for Kisara lives inside of me just like her spirit lives inside my favorite card. That's why the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is special to me. It's the same for Wheeler and his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. They're just like us."

"Wow," Clair said in awe. "I had no idea." She faces Kaiba and wonders, "Do you and Joey often think about those girls and wonder who they were?"

"All the time," Kaiba replied. "We think about them along with our favorite cards and we dream about them at night. Those girls became special to us after all that we've learned about them." Kaiba didn't want to stay on the subject for too long. "You know, Clair, I don't think I should be considered a dragon master. I don't even have any dragon-type Pokémon." But he remembered he had a Seadra and when it evolves into Kingdra, it becomes a dragon-type.

Clair got an idea. "Here, Kaiba. Take this." She holds out her hand and presents him with a Dragon Scale. "If you let your Seadra hold this, it will evolve into Kingdra."

Kaiba kindly accepted her offer. "Thanks, Clair."

She noticed that he was still looking a little upset. "Hey, are you okay?"

He sighs and says, "Earlier today, before we met up with you, I was helping Briar prepare for a battle with you by training her Pokémon. But I battled a little too fiercely. But I couldn't help it because that was my battle method and I was only trying to help my friend. But her Pokémon got hurt."

It was clear to Clair that Kaiba was a fierce battler. "You know, Kaiba, I was the same way when I was young. I thought power was everything. But training here and learning from my friends helped me realize I was wrong. Trust and consideration are more important."

"I know," said Kaiba. "Sometimes, it's not just about considering your own Pokémon's feelings. You also need to consider the well-being and safety of the people and Pokémon around you even if they're your opponents. Because before and after they're your opponents, they're your friends."

Clair nods in agreement. "You're very wise, Kaiba."

The brunette tried not to gloat that it was in his element. But he was willing to admit that it was because of the people around him. He got on his feet and decided, "We should get the others. I'll bet Briar's anxious to have a battle with you."

"Well, I did promise her a battle," Clair responded. Together, they find the others and return to the Blackthorn gym.