Chapter 3

Isolated in Cyberspace Part 2

"The Dreadful Regeneration Combo"

In the virtual forest, the duel continued. "I knew a rookie like you couldn't keep up with someone who built and mastered the Deck Master dueling system." Konosuke said, confidently. "Oh, don't you worry, I'm a fast learner. And last I checked, the duel is still going on." Pinkie replied, confident in her abilities.

"Quite confident for a whippersnapper, but compared to the world champion, you're weak. I can see it in your eyes. You'll never make it big in the dueling business like Yugi has." Konosuke stated. "Why not just give up now so I can take over your body and escape from this virtual nightmare after all this time?" he suggested.

"Not on my life." Pinkie said, boldly. "You talk a big game, but you have no monsters on the field to protect you. That leaves you wide open, for a direct attack!" she continued. "Mad Sword Beast, attack his life points now!" she commanded before her monster charged and slashed Konosuke's life points down to 1700.

"Not bad, Diane." he said. "You claim to be a successful man of business, yet you allowed your competition to get the best of you and give them a slight lead." Pinkie stated. But Konosuke chuckled. "Well, not quite. On the contrary, I led you to do exactly what I wanted you to! And that is allowing me to summon Ruklamba the Spirit King from my hand!" he revealed before his creature, a level eight, Dark attribute reptile/effect monster with 1000 attack points and 2000 defense points, appeared.

"How were you able to summon a monster when her turn wasn't over?" Twilight asked. "Simple, your highness. Ruklamba is one of my more profitable investments. With at least three of these cards in my deck, every time I lose 1000 or more life points, I gain the ability to summon another one to the field, strengthening my staff of workers." Konosuke explained. "Now, what was that you were saying about my success in business? Looks like I'm still one step ahead of my competition, Diane. With plenty of monsters left." he stated.

"It's not about how many monsters you have, it's about how skillfully you use them that counts." Pinkie responded. "I've been in business for a long time and I always had a large labor force. That gave me the freedom to fire, or let go of anyone I wanted, for there was always another employee looking to pick up the slack. And that's how I duel; if one monster has to go, I have another to take its place." Konosuke explained. "Surely her highness knows what it's like, she's royalty, so she could let anyone in her staff not pulling their weight go." he continued.

"That's just sad, Konosuke." Twilight said, disgusted. Meanwhile, Noah was watching the action from his control room. "I'm glad that I hired you to do my dirty work, Konosuke. Now to check on the other guests." he said. "Tell me, my friends, how does it feel to be isolated in this virtual universe? Surely you're on the path to losing your minds." he continued before seeing a screen showing AJ and Tea, who had been captured. "Looks like Tea and her cowgirl friend, Applejack, met my Hitostu-Me Giants." he said before turning towards a screen showing Duke, Tristan and Spike chopping away at the wall.

"Those three actually think they can find a way out through the wall." he continued before turning towards a screen showing Fluttershy and the Kaiba Bros. "And it looks like the Kaiba brothers and their companion, Fluttershy, just entered a scene from those boys' past." he added. "I can't believe it, I was hoping that I'd never have to see this place again." Mokuba said, still in surprise. "Me and Fluttershy told you, Mokuba, this image of the orphanage is just a virtual illusion and nothing more." Seto pointed out. "But it still brings back bad memories." Mokuba replied.

"How did you two end up here?" Fluttershy asked. "Our mother died after Mokuba was born and our father died in an accident when he turned three. By the time I was ten and Mokuba was five, our relatives used up our inheritance and sent us here. And we stayed here, hoping to find a new family that would take us in." Seto answered. "Well, I'll never forget the day we first saw this place, it was the worst day of my entire life." Mokuba added before they heard a voice saying 'Welcome, boys.'

They all looked back and saw the entire scene from that day play out right before them. "Uh, guys...?" Fluttershy asked. "No way! Mokuba, that's us!" Seto said in shock. "But how?!" Fluttershy asked, completely surprised. "Somehow, Noah was able to tap into me and Mokuba's memories and digitally replay events from our past!" Seto replied. 'Very perceptive. Now enjoy the trip down memory lane.' Noah's voice said before they looked off to the left and saw Mokuba's five year old self sitting alone on the swing set.

'That's right. I remember now. On our first day here, I sat in that swing all day. But how could Noah have known that? I was alone the entire time. The only other person who saw me there was Seto. Actually, Seto was the only one who even cared about me.' Mokuba thought as the memories from that day played out before him, his brother and Fluttershy. It was there where Fluttershy realized when Seto got his 'no emotion, no help from anyone' way of life.

"I guess that's your idea of a pep talk, huh?" she asked the multi-millionaire. 'Oh, you poor girl. You're just watching the beginning of my torture!' Noah thought. Soon, Fluttershy and the boys saw one of the things that the Kaibas used to do at the orphanage, play chess. Clearly, Seto was an excellent chess player. "These visions must be painful to watch. I bet Seto Kaiba never experienced virtual software that interacts with a person's memory." Noah said. "It's just what I need to destroy him once and for all. I've been waiting for this day for what feels like an eternity. His empire will be mine. Keep watching your past, Seto." he continued as the boys and Fluttershy watched on.

What they saw was the moment Seto and Mokuba saw the man who would become their step-father, Gozaburo Kaiba, then known as a six-time chess champion. It was the moment he retained his title and donated a portion of his winnings to a local orphanage. 'That was the moment that changed my life forever. The day I met the man who would become step-father for the first time.' Seto thought before all three of them saw that very day play out before their very eyes.

"Look, Seto, it's him!" Mokuba said in shock. "It's just a cheap virtual projection. After all, he's long gone." Seto replied. Fluttershy soon saw that that was the moment when Seto tried to ensure that he and Mokuba were adopted by playing against Gozaburo in a game of chess and do the unthinkable, beat him. "Pretty impressive, for a twelve-year-old." Seto said as he saw his younger self and Gozaburo enter a room to play. "What made you so sure you were going to beat Gozabro at chess?" Fluttershy asked.

"Simple; my desire to win that game was far greater than his. But challenging Gozaburo, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. To him, it was just a game." Seto answered as they watched the game play out, with young Seto keeping up with Gozaburo move for move. "I had his strategies memorized." he added when they saw the final move that won him and Mokuba a new life. "That was the day I took control of my future." he stated.

"Yeah? Well, it was also the day you stopped calling me Mokie." Mokuba pointed out. "If it wasn't for me, we never would've escaped that rat hole. I turned our lives around that day." Seto stated. "But that still doesn't explain how Noah knows about it." Fluttershy pointed out when Mokuba started to walk to the door and open it. "Wait, come back!" Seto called. "I liked the way things were BEFORE we got here! At least back then, you actually smiled once in a while!" Mokuba snapped.

"Mokuba, please. Outbursts like that aren't helping us." Fluttershy said, trying to calm the boy down. "You were never in Domino City let alone the position we were in!" Mokuba snapped. "Mokuba, get a grip, please. You're going to walk right into Noah's hands. He's using these virtual recreations of our memories to turn us against each other. I'm sure you understand, what's past is past." Seto stated before Mokuba opened the door and nearly fell down a massive cliff into a bottomless pit! Thankfully, Seto and Fluttershy save his life.

Meanwhile, Pinkie and Konosuke's duel continued. "You've lost more than half of your life points, Diane. Soon I'll take over your body, leaving your mind trapped in this virtual purgatory." Konosuke stated. "You haven't won yet, Konosuke. Not to mention you, too, lost more than half of your life points." Pinkie retorted. "I'll end my turn by summoning Humanoid Slime in defense mode." she added before her chrome creature appeared to defend her. At the same time, her Deck Master's ability kicked in, increasing Humanoid Slime's defense points to 2300, Mad Sword Beast's to 1500 and Mystical Sand's to 2000, respectively. "Perhaps, but a lot can change in a few turns." Konosuke said before drawing.

'Ah, this will do nicely.' he thought. "I summon Yowie in attack mode." he said aloud before his creature, a level three, Earth attribute reptile/effect monster with 500 attack and defense points, appeared. "You see, Yowie's arrival forbids you from drawing a card on your next turn, making him a valuable asset. Now I play the magic card known as Premature Burial." he added. "By investing a mere 800 of my life points, I can revive one of my monsters in the graveyard. And I choose Ipiria!" he explained before said creature appeared and his life points lowered to 900.

"I told you I employed an unlimited team of monsters, Diane. My workforce already matches yours, and my staff will continue to grow." he continued. 'I get it. His deck build is swarming. Meaning he's trying to get as many monsters on the field as fast as possible.' Twilight thought, catching on to Konosuke's dueling strategy. "You can try to launch your attack, but with three monsters on the frontline, you'll never get to me." Konosuke stated. "We'll just see about that." Pinkie replied, determined.

'She can't attack with Mystical Sand again, he'll just sacrifice two of her monsters like he did last time to bring out the Reflector Hole and cause her monster to attack her instead of him.' Yugi thought, remembering Konosuke's Deck Master ability, since he was Deepsea Warrior. 'And even if she got rid of all his monsters and attacked him directly, he'd do what he did before and summon another Ruklamba to the field.' he continued.

"What's the hold up? Have you finally realized that I'm unbeatable?" Konosuke asked. "You should know that a good strategy takes time to formulate." Pinkie answered. "Nonsense. Stalling for time is a sign of weakness, Diane." Konosuke stated. "That's not entirely true." Pinkie retorted. Right then and there, Sauropod Brachion lowered his head and vocalized. "I may not understand you, big fella, but I believe in you." she said. "Come then, Miss Diane, time is wasting." Konosuke urged.

Meanwhile, Tristan, Spike and Duke finally managed to break out of their trap. "Well, this is an improvement." Spike said. "Yes, but we got nowhere else to go. We're a hundred feet up on a balcony of a virtual castle and I don't see a way down." Duke pointed out. "Well, at least we're outside. Now I say we find a safe way down and start looking for..." Tristan began to say before they heard Serenity and Rarity screaming. They looked down and saw the girls calling for help as they were being chased by a Mad Sword Beast.

"Hold on, Rarity, Serenity! We'll save you!" Tristan called. "That Mad Sword Beast is gaining on them, fast!" Spike stated. "Not if I can help it!" Tristan said before bravely jumping from a castle turret and covering the creature's eyes, blinding it, while Spike and Duke climbed down from a ladder. While Tristan was trying to get the creature to stop, Spike and Duke took the ladies by the hand and led them to safety, all the while, Tristan ended up going for a swim.

"I'd give that dive a perfect ten if it was in an Olympic pool." Tristan said before he saw Rarity and Serenity thanking Spike and Duke, respectively. Meanwhile, the duel continued. "Okay, Konosuke, I may not be able to draw this turn, but I can still think of a different move I can make." Pinkie stated. "Face it, Diane, you can't compete with a born strategist. Do you know how my business career began? With a simple lemonade stand that I stole from my next door neighbor. I turned that one stand into the largest distributor of frozen lemonade in Japan. It goes to show that even if you start small, your investments can transform into an unstoppable force, just like the ferocious team I've assembled here." Konosuke retorted.

"I think I get it. My parents started by selling pastries at small events before they got their bakery, so they know what it's like to start out small." Pinkie said. 'If Pinkie attacks with her Mystical Sand or Mad Sword Beast, he'll bounce the attack right back at her. But in order to use his reflector hold, Konosuke will have to sacrifice two of his monsters first, which will weaken his defense.' Twilight thought. 'Looks like I'll have to take a chance that'll cost me some life points, but it's a chance I'll have to take if I want to win this duel. Here goes nothing.' Pinkie thought.

"Okay, Mad Sword Beast, attack Yowie!" she commanded. "Looks like you're more foolish than I first thought. For now, I'll sacrifice Ipiria and Yowie, in order to activate Reflector Hole once again!" Konosuke declared before Pinkie's attack was turned right back at her, greatly lowering her life points to 500. Meanwhile, out in the canyon, Tea and AJ were finally set down in the cave of the Hitotsu-Me Giants.

Back at the lake, things looked bleak for Pinkie. "Your life points are falling faster than the stock market of 1929, Diane. That makes two direct hits. Three strikes and your out, like in baseball. Then you can finally take a nap." Konosuke said. "Surprised by how realistic each attack in this duel feels? It may be virtual, but it takes more of a toll than the duels you're used to, doesn't it?" he asked. "At least you're down to one monster." Pinkie retorted before realizing she was wrong. "I think you better count again, Diane." Konosuke said as she soon saw that, next to Ruklamba, was the Wall of Illusion.

"Oh, no! He has two monsters left!" Yami shouted. "How did you do that?!" Pinkie asked in shock. "While you were busy recovering from that direct attack to your life points, I seized the opportunity to strengthen my team. I feel it best to get ahead when your rival is down, so I sacrificed my first Ruklamba, allowing me to summon Wall of Illusion, plus another Ruklamba." Konosuke explained.

"You had that move planned all along, didn't you?" Pinkie asked. "Of course I did. Now allow me to introduce you to my newest employee. Meet, Wall of Illusion. What are its strengths, you wonder? Well, any monster foolish enough to attack it is removed from the field immediately and sent back to my opponent's hand. So you may want to resign now, Diane." Konosuke replied before laughing. All the while, Noah watched on.

"It looks like my associate, Mr. Oshita, has almost won me my first victory of the day. Soon, this young lady will be a permanent fixture in my virtual universe. My only regret is that it's not Yugi Muto." he said. 'Okay, what am I gonna do? Now that he has two monsters on the field again, I can't attack. Because if I do, he'll activate Reflect Hole again and reverse my attack right back at me. I can't let that happen again, and with only 500 life points left, I'll lose this duel and my body to this tightwad if I lose and be trapped here forever while he returns to life as me!' Pinkie thought.

"Well, you gave it your best shot, my dear. But in the end, big business always wins." Konosuke said. "Besides, I've roamed this virtual purgatory for too long now and you're my ticket out!" he added. "It's not over yet, Konosuke. So don't make any travel plans yet." Pinkie retorted. "Keep your false hope. You'll be that much more disappointed when you plunge into defeat." Konosuke said with a chuckle. "You'll be as extinct as the dinosaur you have for a Deck Master. So I'm afraid you were doomed two turns ago." he continued.

"You can taunt me all you like, Konosuke. But like my friends, I'll never give up hope!" Pinkie retorted, determined. "I trust in my deck." she added. "And I trust in my skills." Konosuke replied. "I was insightful enough to assemble an unstoppable arsenal of monsters, not that it really matters at this point, anyway." he added. "I've rendered you so weak that you'll be out of life points by my next turn, allowing me to finally return to life and civilization! While your mind is virtually scattered throughout cyberspace!" he declared.