Again, I'm sorry for taking so long! This chapter turned into more of a challenge than I thought it would be. It was supposed to be a lighthearted filler/break chapter before we start the second season, and then it got deep and serious in some spots on me. It made me not hate characters I previously did.
Anyway, there are references to other franchises in this chapter. I don't own any of them or Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, I'd have a lot more money.
Chapter Twenty: Summer Break
"We're home!" Mana yelled as she entered her house followed by her brother.
"Welcome back," Tea greeted them. She noticed the carrier in her daughter's hand. "What's that?"
"Slifer Red's mascot," Mana held it so her mom could see the chubby cat inside. "His name's Pharaoh."
"I get that," Tea raised an eyebrow at her. "Why is he here?"
"He was Professor Banner's," Mana bit her lip and looked at the cat in the carrier. Telling them what happened to their teacher wasn't going to be easy.
"We have a lot to tell you," Atem said. "And we need to talk to Uncle Seto."
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Shame that it took so long to rescue me
From the guilt you used to tie me to your family tree
I guess your training failed; you're not in charge; I'm free
Your patriarchal prison won't hold me (1)
Joan sang along with the song on her player as she replaced the screws on her cousin's duel disk. Weiss wasn't her favorite RWBY character, but man, she had awesome character songs.
"Gee thanks," Tristan said from under his motorcycle, taking note of lyrics.
"Love you, Dad," Joan grinned at him.
"I know," he laughed. "Now remember to tell your cousin he can't just keep having you fix his duel disk."
"I know, Dad," she rolled her eyes. "But it gives me good practice. I mean, how many people at Duel Academy can take a duel disk apart and put it back together?"
"I'm sure it does. The key is to do it correctly without any leftover parts."
Joan raised an eyebrow at her dad. "That was one time. And the duel disk still worked."
"For a while," Tristan countered. "Luckily that one was heading for the scrap heap anyway. Can you hand me that wrench there?"
She grabbed the tool her dad pointed to and passed it to him. "How bad were the brakes this time?"
"Nothing too bad, but time to be replaced," Tristan answered. "Once I finish this, then I have to change the oil. Then she'll be all ready to ride."
Joan rolled her eyes. "I still don't get why motorcycles are girls."
Tristan's phone rang out, keeping him from answering his daughter. He got up and pushed the answer button. "What's up, Yuge?" He paused, listening to Mr. Muto's response. "Okay. Have you called the others?" Joan leaned in, wondering what her dad was talking about. "Sure thing. I'll meet you guys at Kaiba's later." He hung up. "Do you want to go hang out with Mana?" he asked as he put his phone in his pocket.
"Of course!" Joan grinned and packed up her tools.
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Chazz stepped off the train and scowled at all the people crowding around to get on and off. "What are we going to see here, Boss?" Ojama Yellow hovered next to him.
"I told you to go away!" he yelled at the spirit, earning a surprised look from the people around him. Great. Now I look like a nut.
He still seethed at what led him to the station.
"Oh, look," Slade sneered at him. "The loser's back."
"If I'm a loser, what does that make you?" Chazz snapped. "After all, I beat you with a deck full of monsters with zero attack points."
"And yet you still haven't become the best duelist," Jagger said. "I heard those Slifers who already beat you are considered the top students. They got to participate in the graduation matches.
Chazz fumed with that. Yeah, he should have been the one to take on Zane. He could have taken on Atem too, but he couldn't fault the senior for choosing his sister. Even if it would have a different outcome with Chazz in the mix. But if Zane were going to pick a freshman, then it should have been the Chazz. And the Chazz would have won. "Like you would have done better. You couldn't even beat me."
"Well now look who thinks they're a bigshot," Slade scowled, fury building in his eyes.
"Why do you guys even care?" Chazz headed up the stairs toward his room. "I thought you guys didn't need me for your world-domination plan anymore since I lost to Mana."
"Because like it or not, you're still a Princeton, and what you do reflects on us," Jagger answered. "So if you're going to be a part of the family, you'd better shape up."
"Shape up?" Chazz turned and glared at his brothers. "I can outduel any loser in front of me, and that includes both of you. You need me to be a good duelist. But I don't need you guys to help me prove that I am. So back off."
"You hear that, Jagger?" Slade scoffed, his anger barely concealed on his face. "Little Chazz doesn't need us."
"I guess he doesn't need our money then," Jagger agreed.
"Let's see your dueling provide what we can't."
Chazz grimaced as he left Domino station and made his way down the street. He couldn't believe his brothers! They even froze his credit card. Luckily, he had a wad of cash which was just enough for the train ride. He'd heard of a lawyer who specialized in kids' inheritance and guardianship cases. Chazz hated going to a charity lawyer, but once he had access to his share of the inheritance again, he'd pay the lawyer fairly. And then he'd be able to hire one loyal to him and not his brothers.
Jagger and Slade wouldn't get away with throwing him out.
Chazz looked both ways at the intersection, trying to figure out which way to go. It didn't help that he had no idea where anything was in the town. But… he did know someone who did. Probably easier to find the store anyway.
"Well, you're a newcomer." Chazz turned to see a boy and girl about his age looking him over.
"What's it to you?" he snapped, his mood turning even fouler. Why did these lamebrains have to bother him?
"Curiosity. Are you another tourist?" the boy asked. He had curly blond hair and hazel eyes. He wore a pair of jeans and a green shirt with a pair of ten-sided dice—one red and one white—both showing a nine. It read WHEN THE DARK MASTER SMILES, IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE in red font.
"No," Chazz turned away and started walking. "I'm just looking for a game shop."
"I bet he's looking for the game shop," the girl snickered. She had lavender hair that fell past her shoulders with the top half tied back with a pink ribbon, leaving only a few bangs to frame her brown eyes. She had white capris and a black t-shirt that read BETTER ROLL A CRITICAL in white font. "All the tourists look for that."
"I'm not a tourist!"
"Hey, Boss, can we check out that place?"
"I wanna find the hot chocolate."
"Certainly we can find some souvenirs."
"We're not sightseeing! Now go away!" Chazz yelled at Ojama brothers.
"And we get called oddballs?" the blond asked, his eyes flicking between Chazz and the empty space around him. "Look, man, you need to lighten up. After all, you're touring the city of Duel Monsters legends. That's gotta be a dream for a duelist not from around here."
"Are you deaf?" Chazz snarled at him.
The girl burst out laughing. "Wow, your buttons are easy to push." She gestured to the guy next to her. "Usually he has to work harder than that, and then he has to break out his Duel Monster cards."
"Yeah, and then I cream 'em," the guy laughed with her.
"You think you're that good," Chazz scoffed. "Please. I know slackers who are better than you."
"Okay, now you sound like this girl who hates me," the guy scowled. "I don't take that attitude from her, and I'm not taking it from you." He pulled out a KaibaCorp standard issue duel disk and strapped it on. Chazz scoffed at it—it was the version KaibaCorp gave out for free. Nowhere near as nice as the one the Chazz had—straight from the elite Duel Academy itself. This kid would learn not to mess with him.
"Let's go," Chazz readied his own duel disk.
"It's time to duel!" the blond said as they drew their hands.
"I'll start things off," Chazz smirked at his hand. "I'll summon the Masked Dragon (1400/1100) in defense mode." A red and white dragon crouched on his field. "And that's it for now."
"That's it?" the blond raised an eyebrow at him. "Man, you talk a big game, but that opening was lame. Here's how you do it." He drew. "First off, I activate the field spell Landstar Fortress. Every time a Landstar monster is summoned, this'll gain a Landstar counter. And each counter gives my Landstars 200 extra attack points." A gray castle protected by high walls and turret towers rose up behind him. At the center, a red flag with the Landstar crest flapped in the breeze.
"Landstars?" Chazz scoffed. "Those've gotta some of the lamest monsters I've heard of."
"Shows what you know," the blond smirked. "I summon the Knight of Landstar (1000/1200) in attack mode!" A warrior with a pear-shaped head clad in silver armor brandished twin lances at Chazz. One of the Fortress's towers lit up. "And since a Landstar was summoned, my Fortress gets a counter, and my Knight gets 200 more attack points. But I'm not done. I play Landstar Lance!" A larger silver and red lance replaced the one in the Knight's right hand. "This gives my Knight 1500 attack points. More than enough to take out your Dragon. Knight of Landstar, attack with Piercing Lance!" The knight charged forward and slammed its lance into the Masked Dragon, shattering its hologram.
Chazz's LifePoints dropped to 2400. "What the heck?" he frowned at his gauge.
"That's the other effect of my Lance," the blond said. "Even if your monster is in defense mode, you'll still take damage."
"That'll show him!" the lavender-haired girl cheered for her friend.
"Yeah, right," Chazz scoffed. "Since Masked Dragon was destroyed, I can summon a better dragon from my deck, and I'm choosing Armed Dragon LV3 (1200/900)." A little orange and brown dragon crouched on his field.
"I'll end my turn with a face-down," the guy finished his move.
"Then I'll Chazz you up," Chazz muttered as he drew. "Since it's my standby phase, Armed Dragon grows from LV3 to LV5 (2400/1700)!" The dragon grew into a larger black and red one. It growled at Chazz's opponent. "Now, I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Next I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon. This'll blow away that lame Lance of yours." The Knight's lance returned to its plain metal one. "Armed Dragon, attack that pitiful knight with Infernal Roar!" The duelist's LifePoints dropped to 2800 as Knight of Landstar was destroyed. "I set two cards facedown. And now it's time to take this to the next level. I upgrade Armed Dragon LV5 into LV7 (2800/1000)!" His dragon lengthened with longer spikes and more armor covering its body. It snarled.
"Oooh, I'm shaking," the duelist snickered as he drew. He held up his card. "Oh, look, I got a Pot of Greed too. Now I can draw two cards." He smirked at the result. "And now I'll play one of them: Enchanted Fitting Room. By paying 800 LifePoints, I can flip over four cards from my deck and summon any level three or lower normal monsters." His LifePoints dropped to 2000, and he revealed Swordsman of Landstar (500/1200), Grappler of Landstar (1000/500), Level Limit Area B, and Brigadier of Landstar (900/1200). "Obviously, I can't do anything with Level Limit, but my three Landstars can come on out!" The three warriors materialized on the duelist's field. "And since Landstars were summoned, Landstar Fortress gains another counter." A second tower lit up.
"Those low-rent monsters are still nothing compared to my Armed Dragon," Chazz scoffed.
"You haven't seen anything yet," the blond smirked. "I summon Mage of Landstar (1000/400)!" A female clad in red and white wizard robes with a pointed hat on her pear-shaped head materialized on the field. She pointed her white wand at Chazz. "My Mage gives all my Landstars 300 attack points. And since another Landstar was summoned, my Fortress gains another Landstar counter." A third tower lit up. "Now I'll use my Mage's other ability. By rolling a die, I gain LifePoints equal to the result times 200." A white die appeared in the Mage's left hand; she tossed it to the center of the field. It landed on a three. "Ah, yeah! That's 600 extra points coming my way." His score rose to 2600.
"Those wimps are still nothing compared to my Armed Dragon," Chazz pointed out. "Summon as many of those lame things as you want; it won't make any difference. I'll crush every one of them." He clenched his fist to prove his point.
"Oh, I'm not even close to finished," the guy pulled a card from his hand. "Just so you know, my Landstar Fortress doesn't just collect the counters to power up my monsters. By removing two of them, I can normal summon one more time this turn." Two of the towers' lights went out. "Now I sacrifice Swordsman of Landstar and Brigadier of Landstar to summon the Paladin of Landstar (2300/2200)!" A warrior stood twice as tall as the others with shining white armor. He leveled his broadsword at the Armed Dragon. "And since another Landstar was summoned, my Fortress gains yet another counter." The second tower relit itself. "And with the power boosts from both my Fortress and Mage, my Paladin has 3000 attack points. Now, Paladin of Landstar, attack the Armed Dragon with Saber of Honor!" The warrior charged forward, his broadsword raised to strike.
"Time for you to go bye-bye," Chazz smirked. "You fell right into my trap: Ring of Destruction!" An iron ring with explosives attached itself to the Paladin. "Now your monster is destroyed, and you'll take damage equal to its attack points."
"So will you," his opponent braced himself.
"The Chazz won't be taking any," he revealed his other face-down. "Ring of Defense will negate any damage to me." A ring with four green panels attached to it materialized in from of Chazz.
"That's what you think," the guy smirked. "I play Magic Jammer! That'll take out your Ring."
The green-paneled ring vanished as the Paladin exploded. Both duelists were knocked back as their LifePoints dropped to zero. "A draw?" the girl looked between the two of them kneeling.
"Man, that was fun!" the blond jumped to his feet. "You're not bad, hotshot."
Chazz scowled at him. How could he not defeat this lamebrain? The guy was certainly no Mana, Alexis, or Jaden. And Jaden beat him on a fluke. Chazz should have completely trounced him. "Whatever," he finally said. "I'm outta here."
"Chazz?" He turned see the person he was looking for, dressed in blue shorts and a pink shirt with Dark Magician Girl riding her staff on it. "What are you doing here?" Mana asked.
"Looking for you," he grumbled.
"Why didn't you just tell Max that?" Mana gestured to the blond. "He could have brought you right over."
"You know him?" the blond asked.
"Max, this is one of my friends from Duel Academy," Mana rolled her eyes.
"Weren't you the XYZ Dragon Cannon at Spirit Day?" Chazz noticed a girl standing behind Mana. She wore a yellow sweater over a white shirt and navy skirt. Her brown hair was pulled into a clip, and her hazel-grey eyes flicked between Chazz and the ground.
"Yeah…" Chazz looked her over, trying to figure out how she knew him. Then it clicked. "You're the mousy girl from the mechanic's booth."
The girl shrank behind Mana. "Hey, don't call my cousin mousy," the blond snapped.
"What he said," the lavender-haired girl agreed.
Mana sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Okay, let's go through introductions. Guys, this is Chazz Princeton, one of the top students in my class at Duel Academy. Chazz, these are my friends who are practically family. That's Amane Ryou (2)," she pointed to the girl with lavender hair. "This is Joan Taylor, whom you met at Spirit Day," the girl with the clip gave him a small wave, "and the blond guy is her cousin, Max Wheeler."
Wheeler? Chazz looked at his grinning opponent.
"Yep, my dad's the one and only Joey Wheeler," Max gave a two-fingered salute and voiced Chazz's thoughts.
"Chazz, you really shouldn't be surprised by my friends and family at this point," Mana nudged him. "Though if Max was bugging you, I apologize. He has a tendency to egg people on for his own enjoyment."
"Hey, I resent that statement," Max glared at the brunette. "If I were egging him on, I'd have brought a carton with me." He snickered.
"Ugh," Mana and Joan groaned.
"Max, that's not even remotely funny," Joan said. "And if you were to literally egg something, I think Aunt Mai would kill you. And then she'd go after any accomplices."
"Anyway," Mana cut them off. "What brings you to Domino, Chazz?"
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
"Hey, Atem!" Mana strolled into the game shop. "We're going to have a sleepover at Airi's. Want to join us?" She gestured to Chazz and the others behind her.
"Airi invited you guys over?" Atem raised an eyebrow at his sister.
"Not exactly," Mana rubbed the back of her head. "We're just going to go hang out and play Mario Kart all night."
"And who's going to take care of Pharaoh?" Atem asked. "Mom said it was on us."
"Stop being such a worrywart," Mana brushed him off. "Besides, Grandpa really likes him. I'll ask if Pharaoh can stay here tonight." As she said that, the chubby cat jumped up onto the counter next to Atem. "And Grandpa says Pharaoh's been good for business."
"Well it's still my shift until six," Atem sighed. "What else do you have planned?"
"Full on game night," Max grinned. "After Mario Kart, we'll play some Monster World, and then maybe some Dungeon Dice Monsters, and then maybe some Super Smash Bros, and whatever crosses our fancy."
"Assuming Airi says yes," Atem pointed out.
"That's what I said," Joan sighed.
"Airi will as long as I agree to duel her," Mana said. "We have to keep our rivalry going somehow."
"Fine," Atem sighed. "Score yet another one for peer pressure."
"Oh, come on, Prince," Mana rolled her eyes. "You know you can't say no to us."
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
"What do you think?" Yugi set the choker and gauntlet on the table for his friends to examine. His amethyst eyes looked to each person in the room. Joey and Mai sat in the loveseat. Tristan pulled up a chair next to them. Across from them, Kisara sat in an easy chair with Kaiba leaning against it on her right. Mokuba sat on the armrest on her left. The three Ishtar siblings sat on the sofa across from Yugi with Rafael standing behind them. Tea sat next to him, and they exchanged a look, knowing what they had to share. They had gathered to discuss what his children had told them of the school year.
"These concern me greatly," Ishizu picked up the choker. A sense of familiarity came over her, a reminder of the Millennium Necklace she once wore. But this item's abilities were different from her Necklace. "I can feel the shadow magic in them. But they are not as powerful as the Millennium Items once were."
"You said these were used to start Shadow Games?" Marik asked as he inspected the gauntlet.
"The choker was," Yugi explained. "Atem said a vampire used it to capture the souls of his friend and the Obelisk dorm head. Like how Pegasus used the Eye to trap people in cards, this Camula trapped her victims in dolls."
"Creepy," Mai shuddered.
"You're saying the kids seriously fought a vampire?" Joey raised an eyebrow at his best friend.
"It's not like it's the craziest thing we've ever heard," Tristan pointed out.
"And there's more," Yugi continued. "She also used a magic card that required a soul sacrifice. If she lost the duel, that soul was surrendered to the card. It was how she beat Atem's friend—she made his little brother the sacrifice."
"I think we have a few choice words for her," Kisara scowled. "That's beyond low."
"So how did the kids beat her?" Mai asked.
"Took away her hostages," Yugi answered. "Mana's friend Jaden had already gotten one of these Shadow Charms, and they used that with her magic to protect the spectators. Made her use her own soul for the sacrifice. Atem defeated her."
"I'm just glad they're okay," Tea said.
"What about the gauntlet?" Marik held up the charm he was examining.
"I would assume it could start Shadow Games as well," Odion spoke up. "There were seven, correct?"
"As far as the kids know," Tea said.
"I'd assume as well, Odion," Yugi rubbed the back of his head. "That one was wielded by an Amazon tiger spirit. She did not use it for Shadow Games. Instead, she used it to maintain a human form, and she cast a love spell on another of the kids' friends. Apparently she was looking for a husband."
"Almost sounds like Vivian back in the day," Tea sighed.
"That's why she and Duke are perfect for each other," Tristan added.
"I wish I could give you the rest of the set," Yugi addressed the Ishtars. "But apparently the kids didn't gather them all together to take home."
"How so?" Ishizu asked.
"Those who fought the Shadow Games kept them," Yugi said. "If I'd known this before, I'd have made sure they brought all of them for you to examine."
"At the same time, keeping them apart may have been wise," Odion pointed out. "What were the other ones?
"We don't really know," Tea answered.
"The kids asked their Duel Spirits as well, but even Mahad wasn't sure," Yugi explained. "They created Shadow Games. One was used to negate the effects of the choker. One allowed a group of Duel Spirits to cross into our world without a human summoning them. Then there was a headband that allowed Pharaoh Abidos III to cross into the living.
"Abidos?" Marik rubbed his chin.
"He was the nephew of our ancestor, the first Tombkeeper," Ishizu reminded him.
"Right."
"Continue," Odion urged.
"Yes," Yugi nodded. "Another allowed a victim of the Shadow Realm to come back, but once he lost, the Shadow Realm claimed him again. And the last was a book that locked people within it when they lost. I wouldn't be surprised if there's more they can do, but that's all we know."
"Those Sacred Beast cards are also a problem," Rafael drew their attention. "Dartz never mentioned anything like them, and he had his finger on the pulse of everything. He always said the Egyptian Gods were needed to resurrect the Leviathan. I think if he knew about these Beasts, they may have enabled him to succeed."
"Based on what happened last month, their power seems to be more untamed than the Gods," Yugi observed. "I could walk practically anywhere with them, and the only danger would be people trying to win them off me.
"Or running into people like us," Rafael pointed out. He crossed his arms and leaned against the couch.
"That too," Yugi chuckled.
"I've already spoken to Sheppard," Kisara chimed in. "With him being the only person with access to the Spirit Keys and what we know about how they are kept, for the moment I believe keeping them under the school is the safest option. And he's agreed to share all the information on them with us. Unfortunately, most of the research on them was done by Lyman Banner, who is… no longer with us." She paused to give a moment of respect for her departed colleague. She turned to the Ishtars. "Marik, if you're willing, I'd appreciate if you could go to Duel Academy to look into them more. If possible, I'd like to find another location keep them that won't endanger the students."
"I can do that," Marik agreed.
"I will go as well," Odion added.
"Thank you, guys," Kisara said. "I also have something else I must ask you. Atem brought to our attention that students have gone missing over the last two years. Seto and I just found this out because our reports said otherwise."
"I should just fire the entire administration," Kaiba muttered.
"So why don't you?" Joey asked. "Usually that doesn't stop you."
"Shut up, mutt," Kaiba glared at the blond.
"Enough," Kisara silenced them and placed a file on the coffee table. "Most of the administration was unaware. The disappearances occurred at the Slifer and Ra girls' dorm. We were told the dorm needed renovations, and we all know those take time. The female students unfortunately have never been a majority, which is why the Slifer and Ra girls were in one building to start with. Moving them all to the Obelisk dorm was not an issue, and the girls loved it. Mana was the first one to protest being in Obelisk since then.
"But now we know the reason the dorm hasn't been reopened is because there is shadow magic lurking in it. It caused several of the students' disappearances, including Atem's friend Atticus. And as of now, Atticus is the only who's been found. And he came back possessed by an evil spirit."
"Why wasn't anyone told?" Tristan asked.
"Sheppard says they were concerned about the school's reputation," Kisara frowned. "He wanted to say something, but Kagemaru told him it would ruin the school. And Kagemaru's not wrong—if the public were to know this, I doubt we'd be able to keep the schools open. But I also suspect Kagemaru didn't want us to know about his schemes."
"Which won't be a problem anymore," Kaiba spat.
"Yes," Kisara agreed. "Kagemaru has agreed to quietly retire and has surrendered all access he has to the schools. Sheppard has been instructed to report anything out of the ordinary to us, and I will be frequenting the schools on more surprise visits to make sure this doesn't happen again. It is my job to make sure KaibaCorp doesn't get sued."
"I'll also help with those visits," Mokuba chimed in."
"Thanks, Petit Frère," Kisara smiled at her brother-in-law. "But Marik, Odion, I'd also appreciate it if you could look into the dorm to see what exactly is there. If you think it's too dangerous, I'll understand. But Seto and I can't ignore this problem."
"We'll look into it," Marik promised. "So what faculty members are aware of the situation?"
"Obviously Sheppard does," Kisara answered. "And Banner knew. I think the only other one that does is Vellian Crowler. He's… a character. Don't get me wrong; he's a capable duelist and professor. He's just a little stuck in his ways. And don't call him Mr. or Mrs.—he goes into a tirade about his doctorate if anyone does."
"Sounds about right," Tristan said. "He always seemed a little stuck-up when I worked on his duel coat."
"I may have a theory on these Shadow Charms," Ishizu spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to her. She still held the choker. "The Millennium Items were forged by sacrificing human souls in the village of Kul Elna. I suspected Kas were used to forge these."
"You mean Duel Spirits?" Rafael asked, his hand hovering over his deck.
"Yes," she said. "The other world is a large place. It would be arrogant of us to assume we know every spirit that exists, or assume that every spirit has a Duel Monsters card. After all, Spiria and Duos have yet to be made into cards, and we know how much they played into the battle with Zorc five thousand years ago. And since three of the Shadow Charms expanded the abilities of Kas, I believe they are tied to their origins."
"That would make sense," Yugi tapped his chin as he thought it over.
"There's a lot of crazy stuff in the world," Joey agreed.
"If you don't mind, I'll take these with me to the museum," Ishizu picked up the Charms. "I'll see if I can find any more info on them from our records. At the very least, I may be able to figure out for sure how they were forged."
"Thank you," Yugi nodded.
"I'll also forward any information I get from Sheppard to you," Kisara promised. "I'd much rather we deal with this situation instead of the kids getting pulled in again."
"Agreed," the other parents said.
"Now that we've discussed the mystic mumbo jumbo," Kaiba stood up, "we're done. I still have a company to run."
"Thanks for letting us meet here, Kaiba," Yugi said.
"I'll go make us some tea," Kisara stood up as well. "How about we catch up on some brighter subjects?"
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
"Who the freak threw a turtle shell at me?" Mana yelled.
"That would be me!" Max grinned. "I laugh at your misery! And here's another!"
"Max!" Joan shouted at her cousin as her car went spinning.
"Dishonor!" Amane joined in as another green shell knocked her off the edge. "Dishonor on your family! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!"
"Hey, that's my line!" Mana snapped.
"No, that's Mushu's," Amane stuck her tongue out at the brunette. "Now I'm coming for you, Max!"
Chazz said nothing as he drove his car around the track, narrowly avoiding obstacles along the way. He couldn't help but have déjà vu at the group of people he was playing Mario Kart with. It was just like how the slackers acted at the Academy, and only one of them was in both groups. But they were so loud. Couldn't they just play without screaming every two seconds?
Well one of them could. Chazz glanced to the white-haired girl on the other end of the group. Airi Kaiba wore a scowl as the rest of the group got louder and louder. Her white hair was cut short, just past her ear on the left side and slightly longer on the right with her bangs brushed towards her right eye. The only reason she was playing was that it was her house and her game system. Which was why she had no trouble keeping in front of the pack.
"Okay, who got the squid?" Max glared at the other players and ink covered the screen.
"If you can't take the heat, Pup, get off the track," Airi sneered.
"Airi!" Max scowled at her as sparks flew between them. Chazz rooted for the girl if the two went at it.
"All right! I got the Star!" Joan cheered as she shot forward and knocked the other cars out of the way. She got just behind Airi as the white-haired girl crossed the finish line.
"And that's how you do it," Airi smirked.
"Aw!" Mana and Max fell backwards in defeat.
"That was fun," Joan set her controller down and leaned back on her hands. "What did you think, Chazz?"
He wasn't expecting the mouse to ask him. "I haven't played in a while. My brothers decided it was pointless when I started prep school."
"I'm sorry," she looked down at her controller.
"You know, Chazz, if you ever want me to beat up your brothers, I'll gladly do it," Mana smirked at him, and Chazz suspected she wasn't kidding. "I have plenty of spells I want to try out."
"You seriously think your dad would go for that," Airi shot the brunette down. "Isn't he for friendship, forgiveness, and all that?"
"Maybe you're right," Mana shrugged. "But your dad would go for it. He's the one who gets over protective if anyone in your family is threatened."
"Yeah, I don't think so," the white-haired girl shrugged. "Now am I going to cream you guys again, or are you going to find somewhere else to amuse yourselves?"
"I say we play Twister!" Mana suggested.
"I'm okay with that," Amane agreed.
"Mana, you're terrible at that game," Joan pointed out.
"But I can take you all out with me," the brunette grinned. She tapped her fingers together like a stereotypical movie villain.
"Not if we twist out of the way," Max laughed.
Three hands smacked him. "Not funny!" Mana, Joan, and Amane all said at the same time.
"Are they always like this?" Chazz muttered to the white-haired girl next to him.
"If you mean 'are they pain?' then yes," Airi rolled her eyes. "But just so you know, Mana will try to knock other people out if she's going down."
"Great," Chazz rolled his eyes.
"Can we play too?" a boy and girl asked from the doorway. He had green hair and blue-grey eyes. The girl had the same shade of blue-grey eyes, but her hair was long and black.
"Okay, you two," Airi smiled, her eyes softly lighting up. "You can have my spot. I'm going to practice my chess."
"Mind if I join you?" Chazz was decent at chess, given he usually played against himself. He could probably beat her.
"If you think you can keep up," the white-haired girl smirked. "I guess you're wondering who they are?" Her sapphire eyes flicked to the kids helping Mana and Amane spread out the game mats.
"I'd figure it out eventually."
"Meaning someone would spell it out for you," Airi rolled her eyes. "They're my cousins, Noah and Adena. (3) And, yes, they're twins. I'm an only child, so they're the closest thing to siblings I have. And no, I don't count the pains in the butt who invite themselves over all the time."
"You get along with them better than I do my family," Chazz commented as the girl set the chess board up.
"I tolerate them," she said as she set the white king in front of her. "Mana and Atem are the only ones who can match my skill level, and I will completely pass them someday."
"If you figure how to do that, let me know," he frowned and tapped the space his black queen was set on.
"Oh, I know all about how Mana trounced you in front of the world," Airi gave a half-smile. "You gave her too many openings and chances to recover."
"Yeah, yeah," Chazz rolled his eyes. "I realize that now. But I gotta deal with Max too."
"Seriously?" Airi laughed. "You let Puppy Wheeler beat you?"
"No!" Chazz denied it and looked away. "It was a draw."
"Geez," she shook her head and picked up her piece. "Pawn to F4."
"Knight to F6," he moved his horse piece.
"Interesting," Airi scanned the board. "So why did you come to Domino?"
Well she seems the most level-headed one here. Yelling and laughter erupted from the dual Twister games as someone tried to move to the correct color. "You're going to think I'm lame."
"I deal with Puppy Wheeler on a daily basis; even in school. Try me."
Chazz ended up telling her about his brothers cutting him off, capturing and losing pieces as they talked.
"Wow," she rubbed her forehead when he finished. "That great lawyer you need is my mom."
"What?"
"Yeah, it's one of her pet charity projects," Airi explained. "My parents have a soft spot for kids. Which means you'll probably be put up in one of the guest rooms once Mom finds out."
"Seto Kaiba has a soft spot?" Chazz raised an eyebrow at that.
"Depends on your definition of soft spot," the white-haired girl rolled her eyes. "He's just not ruthless to them like everyone else. You have to have the last name Kaiba to get what people would call warm."
"That explains you," the Academy student said.
"What does that mean?" Airi's sapphire eyes turned icy. If looks could kill, Chazz was sure he'd be dead then.
"Please, I've been in the same room as you for two hours," Chazz scoffed. "The only not-sarcastic smile you gave was when your cousins walked in."
"Fine," Airi relented. "By the way, Check." She moved her bishop within striking range of Chazz's king.
Chazz captured the bishop with his rook, but then Airi took it with her queen. He scowled. He only had a couple of pawns, his queen, and a knight left. Airi still had her queen, both rooks, and another bishop left. He managed to maneuver enough to capture the queen, but not before she decimated his forces and left him with nothing.
"Checkmate." Airi boxed in his king.
"Grr," he scowled.
"Dude, this isn't even Duel Monsters," Airi cleared the field. "Get a grip. You couldn't have beaten me anyway. I learned how to play from my dad, and this game led to him being the best CEO that ever lived."
"I'm just getting tired of losing," he grumbled.
"Then do something about it," she glared at him and put the game away. She glanced to the Twister game. "Noah, Adena, look out!"
Her warning came too late as Mana knocked into them on her way out of the game. Amane narrowly avoided falling, leaving her the winner of that round.
"Nice try," Amane laughed and she stood up.
"No fair!" the twins said at the same time.
"Mana, you knocked us over," Adena pouted.
"We would have won if you hadn't," Noah added.
"Sorry, but you guys still wouldn't have beat me," Amane blew on the back of her fingers to prove her point.
"She does that," Airi rolled her eyes. "Do you two want to work on your decks?"
"Yes!" the twins said in sync.
"Let's go to my room," Airi led Noah and Adena out of the room. "We'll make champions out of you yet."
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
The next morning, Chazz was about to knock on the Mutos' door when Mana came sprinting out. "Atem found the bear!" she yelled as she grabbed Chazz's hand and pulled him along.
"What?"
"ATEM FOUND THE BEAR!"
She didn't slow down until they reached a wooded area of the park. Panting, Mana collapsed against an oak tree laughing. "What the heck?" Chazz asked. He doubled over, hands on his thighs, as he tried to catch his breath.
She burst out laughing. When she caught her breath, she said, "Okay, so last year, while Atem was at the Academy, the rest of us went to Kaiba Land, and I managed to win this giant Maji-Gire Panda." Mana pulled out her phone and flipped to a picture. It did look like the aggressive panda Duel Monster. "Anyway, I was more pumped about the fact that I beat Airi—you wouldn't believe how good she is at some of those games—and I didn't care as much about the prize. So I stuck it in my closet and forgot about it.
"Now fast forward to last night. I was looking for my Mulan shirt since I was going to suggest we have a Disney marathon tonight. Found the panda staring at me and nearly screamed. Then I got the idea to use it on Atem." She scrolled to the next picture. The bear was sitting in a tub with the shower curtain closed so only a sliver of it could be seen—mainly the red eyes and snarling mouth. "You can't see it at all unless you're standing right in front of the toilet." Mana started laughing again. "I waited until everyone went to bed, and then I set this up. I got up early to make a quick getaway if needed. Atem had just found it when you came knocking."
Chazz smirked at the idea of the Prince of Games freaking out over the hidden bear. "What's he going to do when he finds you?"
"Who knows?" Mana leaned back against the tree. "Probably going to be a chastising-slash-possible reprimanding from Mom and Dad. Maybe a little bit of revenge at some point. But now I have to figure out how to do it to Uncle Seto." She rubbed her hands together as an evil grin drew across her face.
"You're going to try to scare Kaiba?" Chazz gave her a wide-eyed look.
"Yeah, his reactions are even better than Atem's."
"Do you have a death wish?"
"Why does everyone ask me that?"
"Because you want to mess with Seto Kaiba." Chazz straightened out and spotted a plaque in front of the tree. "What's that?"
"My parents planted this tree," Mana jumped to her feet. "Before we were even born. It was on the anniversary of when the Pharaoh left."
Chazz stepped closer to read the engraving. In memory of the friend who brought us together. May the Heart of the Cards always guide him. "What pharaoh?"
"Right, I guess it was just Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley I told," Mana ran her fingers over the plaque. "You remember the Nameless Pharaoh Professor Banner and Professor Stein talked about?"
"Yeah?"
"He sealed himself in the Millennium Puzzle, which Dad solved. His spirit dwelled with Dad for a few years, until he defeated Zorc again and found out his name: Atem."
"Your brother?"
"Yep," Mana grinned. "We never got to meet him, but Mom and Dad told us stories about him growing up. I wish we could have known him."
"No offense, but that sounds crazy," Chazz crossed his arms.
"You mean crazier than having a room full of Duel Spirits?" she pointed out.
"She's got you there, Boss," Yellow hovered next to him.
"Go away!" Chazz swiped at the spirit.
"Chazz, be nice," Mana chastised him.
"Yeah, yeah," he crossed his arms. "So how long are we staying out here?"
"Eh, we can probably go back anytime," she stretched her arms upward. "I just wish I could have seen his face."
"CReally?"
"Yeah, the reactions are always the best part of pranks," Mana rubbed the back of her head. "Anyway, let's go." She skipped toward the entrance of the park.
"Okay…" Chazz followed the younger Muto, hoping he would not be considered an accomplice.
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
"AHHHHH!"
Max ran from the Mutos' living room to Mana's bedroom, flanked by Amane, Joan, and Chazz. The Muto siblings had invited them over for a Disney marathon that afternoon. They were partway through Aladdin when Mana had run up to her room for something. Her scream was not a good sign.
"Kill it, kill it, kill it," Mana ducked behind him when he made it to the door.
On the underside of her lampshade was a large insect. Max couldn't tell what kind until he got closer. "Really?" he asked. "You faced down Shadow Riders at school, but can't do anything about a bug?"
"Shadow Riders didn't have six legs!" she snapped from behind.
"I'm going back downstairs," Chazz turned away and headed back to the movie.
"Just take care of it, Max," Joan rolled her eyes. "It is freaky-looking."
"Fine," the blond rolled his eyes. "You owe me, Mana." He walked over to the lamp and stuck his hand under it to coax the bug out. His fingers brushed paper. "What the…?" He pulled out the insect cutout. "It's paper?"
"What?" Mana took a cautious step into the room.
Max flipped the insect over. "Revenge is a dish best served cold," he read.
"Atem," Mana scowled.
It dawned on Max that the elder Muto was the only one who didn't move when his sister screamed. "That's actually pretty good for Atem," Max smirked.
"Oh, it's on," Mana punched her palm to prove her point. "It is on like a Shadow Game."
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
"All right, Chazz," the white-haired woman sat across from him. "Tell me your story."
"You already know my brothers cut me off," Chazz grumbled, looking away from her. "I just need my money back."
"But I need to know more in order to build your case," Kisara Kaiba folded her hands in front of her. "Everything discussed here stays between us. How about we start with your current legal arrangements?"
"My brothers have been my guardians since our parents died," he said. "My father built up our money working for an advertising corporation and investing in the stock market. He said there were three components to being successful: good financial sense, good negotiating skills, and celebrity endorsement. People tend to buy things that their idols approve of. My mother was a personal assistant at the same company. They were travelling abroad for an international deal when their plane went down."
"I'm sorry," Kisara's sapphire eyes were full of sympathy. "I know how hard that is."
"Yeah, right," Chazz scowled and glared at her.
"I do," Kisara was unmoved by his attitude, her demeanor nothing but patience.
"No, you don't!" he snapped, the anger at how his life had changed from one accident spilling out. "I was eight! Jagger was barely seventeen, and Slade was fifteen! Slade wanted to go to Duel Academy, but the way our inheritance was dispersed, we only got allowances until we turned eighteen, which only covered what we 'needed.' Jagger had to start working, and Slade had to give up the Academy!" He froze, remembering the fury on Slade's face during their fight. He had stomped all over the broken pieces of his brother's dream. (4)
"Chazz, I understand that better than you realize," Kisara placed her hand over his, calming his tirade. "Tell me, do you know why, in addition to being KaibaCorp's lawyer, I specialize in cases like yours?"
"To look good," he muttered.
"I can see why people think that, but no," she answered. "I didn't really get to have a childhood. My father died when I was very young, and my mother died when I was nine. Now, I didn't have any older siblings like you. All I had was a college fund I couldn't access until I turned eighteen, and a variety of relatives who passed me around for years. I didn't really have an adult on my side until I met the parents of one of my best friends. They took me in and helped me turn things around. And so I try to pay that kindness forward."
Chazz said nothing as he eyed his lawyer, studying her reaction. She had a strong poker face, because he couldn't tell what was behind her sapphire gaze. "So what do we do?" he finally asked, pulling his hand away.
"How far we proceed is completely up to you," Kisara refolded her hands in front of her. "I would start with a conversation reminding them of their legal duties as your guardians to look after you. After that, we could go into talks of emancipation or finding you another guardian. If you want to be emancipated, you have to be able to prove that you can care and provide for yourself. This would include being financially responsible. Guardianship transfer would have better odds, but you would need to prove that whoever is willing to take you is fit." (5)
Chazz hesitated. He'd be severing ties completely with his brothers depending on how this went. Emancipation seemed appealing but… he remembered Jagger struggling that first year to provide for them. And he'd have to give up Duel Academy, just like Slade did. "I don't know who else would be my guardian," his gaze fell to the table.
"I could probably help with that," Kisara smiled. "It wouldn't be me, but I know some people I think would be fine with taking you in. What are you thinking?"
"I… don't know," he admitted.
"Well you're welcome to take all the time you need," she assured him. "Would you like someone to call and tell them you're okay?"
"If they're really that concerned, they'll come looking," Chazz snapped, getting up from the table. "And no one's going to know what we discussed?"
"Attorney-client privilege," Kisara promised. "Now go have some fun. Take the time to be a kid while you can."
"Yeah, yeah," Chazz rolled his eyes and left the room.
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Mana's retaliation for Atem's bug prank escalated things into a full-out war. Joan sighed as she watched her cousin and friends navigate exploding sodas, air horns, and crank calls. Max and Amane joined in as soon as they were caught in the crossfire while Joan, Airi, and Chazz barely stayed on the sidelines. Noah and Adena were amused throughout the war. I hope it doesn't get out of hand.
Joan eyed her friends as they played Super Smash Bros in the Kaibas' game room. Noah and Adena were dominating with their Lucarios. Mana Zelda-spammed any attacked aimed at her with mixed results, leaving her with only one life. Joan was holding her own with Peach, currently going toe-to-toe with Max's Samus. Amane had chosen Pikachu but had already been eliminated by Atem's Link. Airi and Chazz watched from the table with a chess game set up between them.
"Nice try, Prince," Mana activated Zelda's shield, to deflect Atem's attack.
"That's not going to keep me away." Link charged forward. The shield didn't come up, taking a hit out of Zelda's hit points.
"Dang it!" Mana yelled.
"That's for duct-taping my shoes to the ceiling!" Atem launched another attack at his sister.
"That was funny!" Mana protested. "You should have seen your face!"
"I spent an hour looking for them!"
"That's what makes it better!" she laughed, failing to bring up her shield again. Link struck Zelda, eliminating the rest of her hit points. "Dang it!"
"Ah, sweet revenge," Atem smirked and directed Link towards the Lucarios firing ranged attacks at Samus and Peach.
"Hey, you did better than me," Amane consoled the pouting brunette.
"Yeah," Mana sided. "Take them down, Joan."
"I'm trying," Joan avoided Lucario's aura attack and took a swing at Samus.
Noah fired another attack at Joan; she dodged, and this time it struck Samus directly, taking out the rest of his hit points. "Darn it!" Max set aside his controller.
"Good work, Noah," Airi complimented her cousin as she captured another of Chazz's pieces.
"Smash Ball!" the twins yelled at the same time.
Joan jumped to reach for it, but Adena snagged it just before her. Lucario's final smash launched, taking out Joan, Atem, and Noah. "Winner!" the game declared.
"Yes!" Adena cheered.
"Good game," Atem commended the eight-year-old.
A guttural cry interrupted the end-game celebrations. "Uh-oh," Mana scooted to the corner farthest from the door and pulled a bean bag chair in front of her.
"What'd you do?" everyone else asked.
"I may have rigged a water bucket to fall on whoever went to get our next board game."
Please be Roland. Please be Roland. Please be Roland. Joan silently pleaded it was the security guard who had been the victim of Mana's bucket. He would be exasperated, but reasonable. The other option was far more terrifying.
Seto Kaiba stormed into the room, dripping wet, his deep blue eyes full of fury. Fury he locked directly on the brunette hiding in the corner. "Mana," he snarled.
"Oh, hey, Uncle Seto," she gave him a sheepish smile. "Did it start raining outside?"
"No," he answered, his voice icy. "I don't care if you play your little games here. But I am sick and tired of having Mentos in my ice cubes, air horns behind doors, and things put in Jell-O. These asinine pranks stop now. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Uncle Seto," Mana looked down.
"Good."
"Don't forget your umbrella next time," Max gave the CEO a thumbs-up. Kaiba gave him a death glare. "Got it, not funny," he picked up his controller to start another game.
"Welp, I'm going to be able to hang out tomorrow," Mana sighed. "Can we binge whatever other fun we can get before I'm grounded?"
"You brought this on yourself," Airi said as she captured Chazz's queen.
"Dang it!" he snapped, his grey eyes assessing the board.
"Airi's right," Atem agreed. "You might have gone too far with that one."
"But he did look ridiculous all wet that that," Amane giggled. Max chuckled on her other side.
"Noah, Adena, don't ever get ideas from them," Airi ordered her cousins.
"Yeah, anything that could be considered a prank from these three," Joan gestured to her cousin and two friends, "is probably a bad idea."
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Pretty soon the summer break was over, and it was time to start another school year. "I'm going to miss you," Mana hugged her brother.
"Just stay out of trouble," Atem returned the hug.
"Don't I always?" she grinned.
"You have an archive that says otherwise."
"Whatever, Prince," Mana rolled her eyes and picked up Pharaoh's cat carrier. "Kick some butt on the Pro-Circuit. And tell Zane I said hi."
"Will do," he promised.
"You guys better write every week," Amane demanded Max and Joan. "And no playing Monster World without me. You got it?"
"Got it," Max pulled her closed and gave her a noogie.
"Stop! You'll mess up my hair!" she pulled away and tried to straighten her lavender hair.
"Why am I the mature one?" Joan sighed.
"You chose to live with Mana," Airi pointed out. "I on the other hand will be top of the school by midterm."
"Keep telling yourself that, Airi," Mana smirked. "I'll gladly take you on. And you'll have to beat me and Chazz to get to the top. Right, Chazz?"
The second-year student smirked at her confidence. "Yep. The Chazz is going to get even." His brothers hadn't tried to contact him the rest of break. He chose to leave it at that for the moment. Chazz would know where his brothers stood if he didn't get kicked out of the Academy, depending on if his fees were paid. If they weren't… Kisara promised to work with him against them. Chazz might not want to cross that line, but he would if he had to. That much he was sure of.
It was a year of new possibilities.
1. These lyrics are from the song "This Life is Mine," which is a part of the RWBY Volume 4 soundtrack. I do not own them. All rights for that go to Rooster Teeth, Jeff Williams, Casey Lee Williams, and all other parties involved. I am also not going to make a habit of inserting song lyrics in the story. The most will be a stanza like this where the characters are directly commenting on it. I had the idea for this shortly after I decided to give Joan an interest in RWBY and the idea of Tristan being there when Joan sang along to the "patriarchal prison" was funny and had to do it.
2. The dub uses Bakura as his given name and Ryou as his surname, so Amane's last name is Ryou. As for her parents, how they get together is being shown in my story Fate's Ribbon. That one won't have a lot of chapters, but that's the basis for Bakura and Miho's relationship.
3. Yeah, these are Mokuba's kids. You can probably guess who they're named after. But as a note which is discussed in Destiny, I went with the idea Kaiba named the virtual princess after his and Mokuba's mom. As for Mokuba's wife, she's an OC of mine. Her name's Natsumi. She has green hair and golden-hazel eyes. She works as a photographer in Domino.
4. This is one of my few problems with GX. It introduces some really interesting characters, but then it doesn't have a lot of development for them (or consistent). For the Princetons, the tension is still there after Chazz defeats Slade (although less in the sub), and then the brothers aren't mentioned again until the fourth season when Chazz is trying to pay them back for putting him through school. There had to be something more between them, and then my imagination ran from there. Their parents aren't mentioned, and it's Slade who does the dueling when they turn on Chazz. So maybe he wanted to be a duelist but couldn't because of circumstances. Which is also why I made Jagger (the one who ruled finance) the older one-if he had to take care of his brothers, he'd have to be financially responsible. And if Slade wanted to be a duelist, the charismatic skills that go with it would transfer well into politics and convincing people to vote for him. I hated Chazz's brothers before this, but now I just want to give each Princeton a hug and tell them it's going to be okay.
5. Legal disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. I watch a lot of Law & Order SVU (it was in the background when I wrote this) and I kind of channeled Alex Cabot when I wrote the scene. I do know (i.e. Google) that emancipated minors have to prove they can provide for themselves, but that's about it for my legalese knowledge in cases like this. So if there are any lawyers or someone who know if this is or isn't accurate, go ahead and tell me, and I'll fix it.
So yeah, this ended up being a hybrid happy/serious chapter. I admit I'm not entirely sure how well I kept Chazz in character, but his development isn't exactly consistent through the series. And I'll admit to using him to mainly introduce my OCs since I like the trope of using an unaware character to give audience context, and then I thought it would be fun to annoy Chazz, and then reference note four happened. :-D So let me know what you think of them as well, especially since they'll be along for most of the ride.
Also, last time I said I was going to avoid custom cards aside from the few I developed with the help of my friend LoveGlutton. Those include Max's Landstar cards. The Knight, Brigadier, and Grappler were shown in Joey's deck in the anime. Here are the custom cards featured in this chapter.
Paladin of Landstar
Level 7/Earth/Warrior/ATK 2300/DEF 2200
Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the field, equip spells with "Landstar" in their name cannot be destroyed.
Mage of Landstar
Level 3/Light/Spellcaster/ATK 1000/DEF 400
Effect: Once per turn, roll a six-sided die. Gain LifePoints equal to the result x 200. All "Landstar" monsters you control gain 300 attack and defense points.
Landstar Fortress
Field Spell
Effect: When a "Landstar" monster(s) is summoned, place a Landstar Counter on this card. Each "Landstar" monster gains 200 attack points for every Landstar counter on this card. You can remove two Landstar Counters from this card to normal summon one extra time this turn.
Landstar Lance
Equip Spell
Effect: Equip only to a "Landstar" monster. The equipped monster gains 1500 attack points. If the equipped monsters attacks a defense position monster, inflict piercing damage.
Thanks for reading! I'll see you guys next time!