The next morning Jason woke up and showered, letting the hot water roll over his body soothing his muscles. When he finished, he dried off and waited for his clothes to be returned before dressing into the still warm fabric. He made sure to wear the suit and added Keith's shades before walking out of his room and towards the dining hall.

When he arrived at the dining hall, he found Pegasus eating alone.

"Ah. Young Jason." He spoke. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine." Jason said bitterly.

"Are you excited for the days duels?"

"Yeah, but I'll be even more excited when I beat you at your own game."

"I love your drive young Jason, but you need to get to me first."

"I plan to."

"Then I will expect nothing less than your best strategies."

They ate in silence and Jason went back to his room to do something that he hated doing... he meditated.

He sat cross legged on the floor with his hands resting on his knees. If he were going to face Pegasus, a being who could take his soul just by looking at him, he was going to need help.

He walked through the hallway of his mind until he came to the doors keeping the 'Imprisoned Queen Archfiend' locked away. He pushed the doors open and walked into the room.

He wasn't sure what he'd expected to see in the room, but it wasn't the walls, ceiling, and floor to be in a checkerboard pattern. He walked in and saw the 'Imprisoned Queen Archfiend' chained to the wall.

"I've come to free you." He spoke .

•Idiot!• She spat in a language that he couldn't understand.

"What?" He asked.

"She called you an idiot." A voice said.

Jason spun around and grabbed his knife.

"I do not mean any harm." A dark-skinned man wearing a set of brown and beige robes, and a turban on his head said.

Jason recognized the man as Shadi. "How did you get in here?" He asked already knowing the answer.

"I used the power of the Millennium Key to enter your mind."

"Don't you need permission to do that?" Jason asked.

"That is why I am here." Shadi said. My name is Shadi. I am the keeper of the Millennium Key and Scale, and the Guardian of the Millennium Items."

"Good job." He scoffed. "You gave one to a guy who wants to use it to bring his dead wife back to life forcing her to live in a hell of his making..." he held up a finger. "One was stolen by a murder hobo who is possessing a child..." he held up a second finger. "...and another one who murdered a bunch of monsters..." he raised up a third finger. "...not that I'm complaining about that last one. Monsters need to die, and people like the Pharaoh and I are the ones with the strength to do what needs to be done."

"Unjustified murder is not something to be proud of."

"Unjustified murder!?" Jason asked enraged. "Don't give me that bullshit! The creators of the Millennium items murdered people just so they could have a little more power! What about that is justified murder!?"

Shadi looked at the floor. "They were done for the glory of the Pharaohs."

"Don't give me that shit!" He shouted. "The Pharaohs were power hungry tyrants who got what they deserved!"

"No! The unnamed Pharaoh wasn't like his father! He was just!"

"Was he! Was he really just or was he just an ignorant kid who got in over his head!?"

"You know nothing of the Pharaoh!" Shadi spat.

"Then leave!"

"Not until I have done what I need to."

"Then do it and get out."

Shadi walked up to the 'Imprisoned Queen Archfiend' and began speaking with her. After a moment he turned back around and looked at Jason. "She says that you are an idiot because you do not remember who you are?"

"And who am I?"

Shadi walked towards Jason and pressed his Millennium Key to his head before turning it.

Jason fell to the floor as he was wracked with mental pain as memories pushed their way through his head. "What the hell did you do to me!" He yelled.

"I unlocked your hidden memories. You will begin to remember your past."

Jason remembered looking up into the eyes of a man. The man wasn't particularly caring, but he cared enough to teach him and train him in the ways of a soldier. When he came of age, he was trained in the arts of night running. He was trained to be one of the Pharaohs assassins, the Pharaohs hidden blade.

When he turned fifteen, he was caught giving food to the Pharaohs slaves, and his mentor was forced to watch as he was beaten to death.

That night he woke up in the desert; dehydrated, stiff, sore, bruised, and nearly catatonic. He stumbled to his feet and made his way back to the holy city. When it was day, he hid in a cave that seemed to appear out of the sand. He looked around and found a pool of water and drank from it before bathing in its ominous green glow.

When he exited the cave that night, he had been strengthened by the pool, and he was ready for vengeance.

He snuck into the royal city to see his mentor only to find out that he'd replaced him with another student. Enraged, he ran to the temple to kill the Pharaoh. As he was running, he became lost in the temple and found himself in a room full of stone tablets. He looked at the tablets and felt drawn towards one in particular.

He touched the tablet and was engulfed in light.

•What would you have me do Master?• A dark foreboding feminine voice asked him.

"I want you to kill the Pharaoh!" He cried out.

•That is within my power.• The voice said. •But not within yours. You must train to be able to withstand my power. Only then will you be able to accomplish your goal.•

"What do I have to do?"

•Learn to play the Shadow Games. Only then will you be able to withstand my power.•

Over the next five years he spent his nights learning how to play the war game called the Shadow Games. Used as a weapon of war it was difficult to master, but he grew to love it, and mastered the game so that he knew how to play it in a way that not even the Pharaoh knew.

At the end of five years, he went back to the stone tablet. "Alright. I've mastered the Shadow Games."

•We shall see.• the voice said before he was engulfed in light and fell unconscious.

When he woke up, he saw the Pharaoh lying unconscious in a heap on the floor.

"The Pharaoh's Dead!" Someone yelled.

"Seize him!" A familiar voice said.

He looked over to see Yami glaring at him as he was surrounded by guards.

"Mind Crush!" Yami yelled.

He felt something happen, but it wasn't what was supposed to happen. He felt the presence cut off from his mind, and he fell to the floor. He wasn't dead, but he wasn't alive either. He was just... there.

Shadi looked at him. "So. You are the reincarnation of the rogue who killed the unnamed Pharaohs father making him the Pharaoh."

"No. I don't know what you just did to me, but I refuse to believe it."

"Whether you refuse to believe it or not, the truth is that you are the one who killed the Unnamed Pharaohs father."

"If any of that was true then he killed me."

"Yes. The fact that you didn't die is disturbing, but you were a criminal."

Jason vaulted up and brought his leg down on Shadi who rolled out of the way. "No! He was a monster for having Slaves!"

"It was his right as the Pharaoh."

Jason jumped at Shadi and kicked him in the gut sending him flying. He stalked towards him and grabbed a fistful of Shadi's robes. "NO HUMAN HAS THE RIGHT OVER ANOTHER HUMAN!" He snarled. "I hope that really was me because I'll be glad that I was able to take a monster out of this world. What are you going to do about it!?"

"If you will not listen to reason then there is nothing I can do." Shadi said leaving his mind.

Jason walked into the chamber the 'Imprisoned Queen Archfiend' was being kept. •If I free you. What will you do?• he asked in Arabic.

•Not kill you if that's what you're asking.•

•No. I don't believe in that reincarnation bullshit. I'm here to stop injustices throughout the world. Are you in, or out?•

•Even if I were interested. There is only one way you can break the chains that bind me.•

•How?•

•Summon me in real life, but since there isn't any way of doing that. I'm stuck in here.•

•That's where you're wrong.•

Mai Valentine walked onto her side of the field In Pegasus' castle and looked across the field. Jason wasn't there. "Did I scare Jason off?" She asked.

"No." Mokuba said. "He was meditating. He said that he'll be here in a minute."

"He has five minutes before he's disqualified." Croquet said.

"Then it's a good thing I'm here." Jason's voice echoed through the arena. Two bottles landed on the bridge leading to his side of the dueling arena. They exploded sending fog into the air, covering his side of the arena. Music erupted from the arena, and someone started singing.

I'm at war with the world and they

Try to pull me into the dark

I struggle to find my faith

As I'm slippin' from your arms

It's getting harder to stay awake

And my strength is fading fast

You breathe into me at last

I'm awake I'm alive

Now I know what I believe inside

Now it's my time

I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

here (right here), right now (right now)

I'll stand my ground and never back down

I know what I believe inside

I'm awake and I'm alive

I'm at war with the world cause I

Ain't never gonna sell my soul

I've already made up my mind

No matter what I can't be bought or sold

When my faith is getting weak

And I feel like giving in

You breathe into me again

I'm awake I'm alive

Now I know what I believe inside

Now it's my time

I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

here (right here), right now (right now)

I'll stand my ground and never back down

I know what I believe inside

I'm awake and I'm alive

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

In the dark

I can feel you in my sleep

In your arms I feel you breathe into me

Forever hold this heart that I will give to you

Forever I will live for you

I'm awake I'm alive

Now I know what I believe inside

Now it's my time

I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

here (right here), right now (right now)

I'll stand my ground and never back down

I know what I believe inside

I'm awake and I'm alive

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

Someone dropped from the ceiling and stood up. When the smoke cleared Jason stood on his side of the field, but he looked different. He wasn't wearing the trench coat or the suit coat. Instead, they lay on the banister next to Mokuba. Instead, he was wearing the dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just under the elbows and was wearing the vest. Under the vest they could see a black design. His pants were the pants he'd worn on the trip over and on the back of the pants connected to the belt was his knife. On his hands he wore gloves.

"My, my." Pegasus said. "Looks like you've undergone quite the change young Jason."

"Yeah. I took Mokuba's words to heart and made the necessary changes."

"I can't wait to see this new Jason."

"Let's start the duel and you'll be able to see the new me."

"I can't wait. Start the match."

Jason took out his deck and gave it to the servant who walked over to Mai and handed her his deck before taking Mai's and walking it over to Jason's side of the field.

Jason shuffled Mai's deck and cut it before handing it back.

The servant walked back to Mai and gave her deck back and took Jason's deck back to him.

"I'll let you go first." Mai said. As their life points appeared on the life point counters.

Jason Todd: 2000

Mai Valentine: 2000

"Your mistake." Jason said drawing five cards. "I play 'Imprisoned Queen Archfiend'!"

As soon as the card touched the card reader the Hologram Projectors began sparking. The air exploded as a monstrous creature appeared in the air. It was a large feminine figure with purple skin, red hair, she wore armor, and from what they could see she was wearing a high waist, long skirt, loincloth. Her face was skeletal, and she wore a crown on her head. She had a pair of black, demonic looking wings. They also noticed that she had chains keeping her chained to the wall.

She pulled against her chains and ripped them out of the wall leaving her free to move. She let out a roar that shook everyone in the arena to their core. She looked back at Jason before looking forward.

The air was permeated with cold, calculating demonic evil. Everyone but Pegasus, Yugi, and Jason were shaking in terror.

"Wh-what is that thing?" Mai asked. "I-I've never seen that Duel Monster before."

"Allow me to introduce the 'Imprisoned Queen Archfiend'." Jason said. "Though as you can see, she is no longer imprisoned, and I'm not even done yet."

"What?"

"No. I'm not done yet. I discard the 'Archfiend General' bringing the Field Spell 'Pandemonium' to my Field Spell zone." The holograms sparked again, and the field turned into a platform with bones littering the area. Steps led down to a fire pit where other Archfiends stood preforming some kind of ritual. The air became even more saturated with cold, and their breath began frosting in the air.

"H-ho-how are y-yo-you doing this?" Mai asked as she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"If you know how to play Duel Monsters, then anything is possible. I just learned how to play this deck to its maximum potential."

Pegasus smiled a wicked smile. Young Jason had just become all the more interesting.

"A-ar-are you d-don-done yet?"

"Nope. I set this card and I play 'Pot of Greed'." A Hologram of the 'Pot of Greed' appeared in the air before two holographic cards floated out of the top as Jason drew two cards from his deck. "Now, I end."

"I draw a card, and I play 'Harpie Lady' in defense mode and equip her with 'Follow Wind'." A pale blue skinned woman with hands that ended in razor sharp claws, feathers went up her arms and she had what could have been tail feathers around her waist like a skirt. Her feet ended in razor sharp talons, and she wore a pair of dark purple pants. There were strips of fabric that went from a choker around her neck down her torso barely covering anything and going down to the ankles.

"Looks like you play dirty." Jason said. "Playing with provocative cards to play hell with your opponent's emotions, and then when they are flustered by your scantily clad winged warriors you go in for the kill."

"Yeah!" Joey yelled. "An' she coats 'er ca'ds wit different perfumes ta make 'em t'ink dat she's a psychic!"

"One more outburst like that, Joseph!" Pegasus said. "And I'll have you disqualified! You don't ruin another duelists strategy, even if it is a cheaters strategy."

'And using your Millennium Eye isn't?' Jason thought.

"Who cares what cards I play with!" Mai yelled, her anger helping her forget that she was cold. "If we should be worried about anyone, it should be you and that illegal deck!"

"Actually." Pegasus said. "I gave Young Jason that deck, and I told him to play it in the finals. I wanted to see if he could discover the secret of the Archfiends, and it looks as though he has. Well done, Jason." Pegasus said with a bow.

"Do you end?" Jason asked Mai, ignoring Pegasus.

'There's nothing I can do.' Mai thought. 'I have to play defensively until I can draw 'Mirror Wall', and the cards for my combo, but what if I can't? No! I can't think like that. I can win if I play strategically. I'm one of the best Duelists in the world, this guy is just some random chump who never went to a single tournament. He can't possibly beat me... can he?' "I'll end, for now."

"I draw. I set a card, and I play 'Terrorking Archfiend'..." A terrifying Being walked from the fire to stand in the light of the monster zone. It had red sinewy muscle covered by bony plate armor. If they were asked to describe him, they would likely say that he looked like a regal and more dignified Summoned Skull.

'Terrorking Archfiend' walked to the Monster zone slot next to 'Imprisoned Queen Archfiend', took a sword from his back, and stabbed it into the ground before placing his hands on the pommel silently waiting for Jason's orders.

Everyone watched the 'Terrorking Archfiend' in amazed horror. The 'Imprisoned Queen Archfiend' was impressive, but the 'Terrorking Archfiend' demanded respect with his very presence. Then the cold, overwhelming fear came back with a vengeance as it bit deeper into their cores.

"... I set a card." Jason continued, causing everyone else to jump. "Then I play 'Solemn Wishes'. Each time I draw a card I gain five hundred life points. I'll end."

Mai shook her head to regain some of her composure. "I-I d-draw. I p-p-play another 'Harpie Lady' in defense position, and I s-s-set two cards face down." 'Maybe I can bluff him into not attacking.' "I e-end."

"I draw, and I set a card face down, and play 'Barrier Statue of the Abyss' in face up defense position. As long as 'Barrier Statue of the Abyss' is on the field, only Dark type monsters can be special summoned. Next I'll activate the spell card 'Checkmate'."

Pegasus smiled at that. He knew what was about to happen, and it filled him with so much joy that he thought it was Christmas morning.

"I Sacrifice my 'Imprisoned Queen Archfiend' to activate 'Checkmates' effect. Now my 'Terrorking Archfiend' can attack your life points directly!"

"WHAT!" Mai yelled.

"What?" Joey asked. "Yug, can 'e do dat?"

"ALL RIGHT!" Mokuba cheered.

"'Terrorking Archfiend'! Attack Mai's Life points directly! Unholy Demonic Slash!"

'Terrorking Archfiend' raised his sword and with a deftness that belied his stature ran past Mai's 'Harpie Ladies' before swinging at Mai directly and cutting her down to 0000.

"He beat Mai in three turns." TéA said breathless. "How is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure TéA. We just watched him do it Joey, and Pegasus isn't stopping him, so he must be able to do it."

Jason looked at the 'Terrorking Archfiend' who looked at him before nodding... had that... just happened? He collected his deck and the chill that filled the air dissipated only to be replaced with the sound of clapping.

"Marvelous." Pegasus cheered. "Simply marvelous. Never in all my years of Dueling have I ever been given the chance to witness a duel as chilling as that. Thank you for giving me that opportunity young Jason."

Jason simply nodded.

"Now. Who's ready for lunch? Watching that duel has simply left me famished!"

"It was only three turns." TéA said.

"Ah yes, but that will give you the chance to visit Richard. Jason and Mokuba can escort you. We want you looking your very best for the remaining duels don't we." With that Pegasus bowed and left his seat.

Jason looked up at the others.

"All right Jason! Mokuba cheered. "That was awesome! I didn't know that your Archfiends would be that terrifying! Not even Seto's 'Blue Eyes' is that..." Mokuba went quiet when he remembered what had happened to Seto. Seto may be an ass at the best of times, but he was still Mokuba's brother, and seeing him break like that had to be painful to remember.

"I know Mokuba." Jason said. "I know."

Meanwhile, in Rio de Janeiro.

A plane landed at Rio de Janeiro international Airport. A 17-year-old boy with short, straight, messy, pink hair; green eyes, standing 5'7" walked into the airport. Once inside he looked around and saw a woman wearing a denim button up shirt tied in the front, a pair of Daisy Dukes short shorts, and a pair of running boots with knee high wool socks. She was holding a sign that said.

Pico da Nablina Decathlon

He walked up to the woman. "Hello." He spoke. "I'm Ryder Furukawa. I'm here for the Decathlon."

The woman looked him up and down. "Okay. I'm Amese Kinugi. I'll be taking you and the other contestants to the Decathlon."

"How many people are entered?"

"Twenty. Not many people come here due to a few reasons. One of them being that it's too far, it's too difficult, it's too expensive. You get the idea."

"Yeah. None of those were really an issue. I'm just here because I thought it would be fun."

"What?" Amese asked. "You came to the Pico da Nablina Decathlon because you thought it would be fun?"

"Yeah. Why? Is that a problem?"

"Well no. It's just, we normally get soldiers and Bodyguards. We don't get very many civilians."

"Well, I needed a new challenge. Marathons and Triathlon's aren't doing it for me anymore."

"You're only like 15 though."

"17 actually, but yes. I know I'm young. I hope that won't be a problem."

"No, just don't expect to complete the Decathlon this year."

Ryder took a coin out of his pocket and flipped it into the air. He caught it and placed it on the back of his hand and smiled. "I think I'll stay."

"Okay. Just don't get upset if you don't place very high."

"I won't. Like I said. Im only here to have fun. I'll come back as many times at I need to, to complete the Decathlon."

"Okay... oh. Here's the final two contestants. Hello gentlemen."

Ryder looked over to see a man whose thighs were as thick as his head. The other man's biceps were as big as his head. "Hey." He nodded. "What's up. You guys here for the Decathlon too?"

"Yeah shrimp." The leg guy said. "What? Are you here for an autograph?"

"No. I'm competing too."

The men burst into laughter.

"YOU!" The arm man yelled in Mirth. "YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN RUN THE PICO DA NABLINA DECATHLON!"

"Well yeah. I'm just here to have fun. Why are you guys here?"

"We're here to become Bodyguards for Maximillion Pegasus!" The leg man yelled. "I'm Saru Sumibumi!"

"And I'm Kaeru Shoki!" The leg man yelled.

"Well, I'm Ryder Furukawa. Good luck."

"It's you who's going to need all the luck you can get." Saru said pushing past Ryder.

Ryder flipped his coin and smiled at the result. "I'm feeling pretty lucky." He whispered to himself following Aseme, Saru, and Kaeru.

As they drove through the South American countryside until they came to a mountain that disappeared into the mist. They drove into the mist and appeared at the peak.

They stepped out of the car and saw twenty other people waiting. Seventeen were contestants, while three of them were staff. One looked like a drill Sergeant and the other two looked like medics.

Ryder looked through his bag and made sure his deck was in its waterproof case and took off his pants and shirt revealing a pair of running shorts and a muscle shirt. He put them in his bag and zipped it up before he pulled down the waterproof cover and zipping it up. He slid his bag over his back and walked to the other contestants.

"Good morning, maggots!" The Drill Sergeant yelled. "Welcome to Hell!" He walked to the starting line. "Line up on the Starting line!"

Ryder and the other contestants ran to the starting line.

The Drill Sergeant paced up and down the line. "Now Maggots! Here's what you will be doing! You will run from this peak, down to the lake, swim across the lake, and continue running towards the back of this mountain where you will climb up to the peak! After that you will Duel with a Duel Monster's Deck, so I hope you have one ready, and have thought about how you're going to keep it in one piece as you run! THE WINNER! Of this here Decathlon will be awarded a never-before-seen Structure deck graciously provided by Maximillion Pegasus, the 10,000-dollar pot, and the greatest prize..." he said pointing at a tent. "... that tent is filled with over one million dollars' worth of prizes! But you only get it if you win the duel!"

The group murmured amongst themselves.

"Now!" the Drill Sergeant said before stopping and looking at Ryder, who was dwarfed by the other contestants. "...WHO ARE YOU!" He yelled into Ryder's face.

"Ryder Furukawa." Ryder said Confidently.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE!"

"Because it looked fun."

"Because it looked... fun?" The Drill Sergeant asked confused.

"Yeah. Aseme said that it wasn't a problem."

The Drill Sergeant burst into laughter. Followed by the other contestants.

Aseme rolled her eyes. "GO!" She yelled dropping her arm.

Ryder began walking through the mist, being careful not to step near the edge. This was untraveled terrain for him, so he needed to be careful. He'd walked maybe two minutes before he heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind him. He kept walking and saw people running past him, they must know the area better than him.

He was walking for a bit longer when he came to a fork in the road. He took a rock and tossed it to the left. It bounced before he heard a *Thunk* against something. 'Not that way.' He thought, tossing a rock to the right. The rock bounced along a path. He took the path to the right.

After a ten minute walk the fog began to clear. When the fog had dissipated completely, he began to jog down the mountain path. As he was jogging, he couldn't help but remember the long walks, the hikes, the jogs, and the runs he would take either to prepare for a race or just to enjoy natures beauty. He was jogging for a half hour before he came to a Crystal-clear Lake. He knelt next to the lake, scooped some of the cold water into his hands and splashed his face. Spluttering as the cold water brought him back to reality.

He looked across the lake and saw a few other contestants, but he couldn't see the other side. He checked his bag to make sure it was sealed and jumped in.

The water was freezing and jolted his senses. He was glad that he'd decided to do some cold-water swimming at the community center.

With a pull of his lean swimmers arms he pulled himself through the water. It reminded him of swimming at the community center pool. After ten minutes of swimming freestyle, he turned into his back and floated while kicking. After ten minutes he turned over and began freestyle swimming again.

He did this for two hours before he saw the other side of the shore. He switched to the backstroke and swam to the shore.

When he felt his back hit the wet sand of the shoreline he stood up. He looked around and saw a few of the competitors lying in the wet sand gasping, and he was thankful for the Wave pool at the community center for helping increase his endurance.

With that he was back to walking to get his land legs back but found himself slipping in mud. When he crested the hill, he saw a muddy hill leading to another course of some kind. It looked like the mud crawl from those Army movies his brothers liked watching. He took a step over the edge of the hill, and the mud slid under him causing him to fall face first into the mud and down the hill. When he reached the bottom, he stood up and wiped the mud from his face.

"You okay there little guy?" A large, well-built man laughed.

"Yeah." Ryder said. "I've never felt more alive."

"Well, get ready to eat those words." The man said before he ran to one area in the mud. He dropped to his knees and began Army crawling through the mud.

Ryder walked to an empty lane, dropped to his knees, and began crawling through the mud like the other man. He again was grateful for his endurance training as crawling through the mud was difficult and tiresome, but he concentrated on crawling and before he knew it, he was touching grass.

He pulled himself into the grass and rolled in it to get the worst of the mud off of him. While he rolled, he let out a sigh of relief.

"We're not done yet boy." A different voice said. "If you are this tired after a li'l old mud crawl, then you best throw in the towel, cause it only gets harder from here."

"I'm not done yet." Ryder said. "I was just happy to pass another leg of the race."

"Well, this next event will have you throwing in the towel for sure."

"What is it?"

"Log carry, and you better pull your weight, cause these logs are heavy sons of bitches."

"Language." Ryder said.

"What? You mean that you can't handle a little swearin'?"

"No. I just don't like swearing. Why can't you call them heavy sons of guns or something?"

The other men started laughing.

"Let me give you some advice boy. Don't criticize your betters."

"Okay. We've still got a ways to go, so you'd 'betters' bring your A-game, cause I plan on bringing mine too."

"Whoa oh ho!" The others cheered. "This Young buck is challenging you." One of them said.

The man reached for Ryder, but he was more agile than the man, and escaped his clutches.

"WHAT! I repeat WHAT in the Sam Hill are you doing!" The Drill Sergeant yelled. "You're supposed to be running this Decathlon. Now pick up these Logs and get them to their destination! Or do I have to assign you into groups?"

They split into four teams of four and each team helped pick up the log. Ryder joined a group with Saru, Kaeru, and the man he'd met just before the mud crawl. They surrounded the log, two on each side, and picked it up. Saru was in front, Ryder and the guy he'd met before the mud crawl was in the middle, and Kaeru was in the back. Ryder couldn't believe how heavy the log was. He grunted and groaned with the effort of trying to support the log, but with the help of the others they began walking, Kaeru propelling them forward with his strong legs.

They walked through the forest carrying the log, Ryder occasionally slipping, but the others would wait for him to get back up and help with the log, not because they were being nice, but because they needed him to cross the line with them.

When they reached the line they dropped the log, and if not for his agility, Ryder would have been caught under the log. He looked up and saw an abandoned building.

"Welcome Ladies!" The Drill Sergeant yelled. "This next event is really two events combined. The path through this building is five hundred meters long! You MUST follow the designated path! Am I understood!"

"Yes sir!" The sixteen remaining competitors yelled.

"Along the path you will have to use stealth to get from one end to the other. If you are caught along four hundred meters of this path, then you will be shot with neon orange paintballs. The remaining one hundred meters..." The Drill Sergeant smiled a cruel smile. "... that's a surprise. Any questions? No? Good! Now get running maggots!"

Fifteen of the sixteen competitors ran into the building. Ryder flipped his coin, caught it, slapped it on his hand, and looked at it. He smiled and walked up to the building. He found some cover and hid behind a pillar. He looked around but didn't see anything. He ducked behind the pillar as a neon orange paint ball zoomed past and hit the wall behind him.

The paint ball exploded against the wall and flecks of paint hit him.

"Okay." He spoke. "It's just paintball. Just like what me and the Boys did on Saturday's. I can do this." He broke cover for the next pillar, and dove behind it as neon orange paint balls brushed by him, and exploding near him, but not actually touching him. The best he got was hit by flecks of paint.

He looked around and saw a couch nearby. He broke cover and dove behind the couch, a paintball flew threw his hair, but didn't explode.

He made progress through the building and before he knew it, he'd cleared the four-hundred-meter mark. He was covered in pain flecks, but no full hits.

He stepped into a different hallway and the floor in front of him exploded. He looked out and saw that there was a row of Gunmen. Each one of them weren't aiming right at him, but instead they were aiming around him. This seemed incredibly dangerous. He flipped his coin and glared at the result. This was going to suck.

He ran across the floor with the walls, ceiling, and floor exploding around him. He could see the other holes that were left by the others running by, but he couldn't stop right now. He kept running, ignoring the pain of rock, splinters, and ceiling tile hitting him and ran through the door leading to the outside.

He was assaulted with paint grenades as he exited the building covering him from head to thigh with neon orange paint.

He wiped the paint away from his face and looked around. Thirteen of the remaining sixteen had made it through the event, and one of them looked like they were ready to drop any second. The others were looking at him trying to see if he was going to drop out or continue. "What's the next event?" He asked.

They walked to a long jump pit, but this pit wasn't filled with sand. Instead, it was filled with charcoal, and it was on fire.

"What the hell?" He asked in a moment of shock.

"Language!" A man said. "As penalty, I think that you should walk first."

The others laughed, whooped, and cheered.

Ryder went to take a step, but one of the men stopped him. "You walk on it barefoot."

He gulped but took his shoes off and put them into his bag. He flipped his coin and caught it. Even though the result pleased him, he was still filled with dread. He went to put a foot down, but the man stopped him again. "If you run it won't be as bad."

Ryder nodded and ran across the fire pit. When he got to the other side, he looked at his feet and looked back at the group. "That didn't hurt." He said putting his shoes on.

The others took their shoes off and walked across the fire pit.

"What? How?"

"The trick to walking on a fire pit." The man said. "Is to move quickly. It won't burn you if your quick enough. I was just pulling your leg when I said to run."

The others laughed at Ryders expense.

They began walking again and walked to a bike stand. They each took a bike and began biking through the forest.

As soon as he sat on the seat, he let instinct take over and he let out a whoop as he took off.

He dodged roots, branches, and bushes; jumped over puddles, and narrowly avoided falling over the edge, and before he knew it, he was met with a sheer wall going straight up.

He got off his bike and looked around. Was he at the climb? He looked up and saw that the wall went into the mists of the mountain they'd started at. Had it really been that long? He looked at his watch and saw that it had been eight hours since he'd started this morning? "Hello? He called out. Is this the place we're supposed to climb?"

"It sure is rookie." Kaeru said. "It's a free climb."

"Where's the safety harnesses?"

"They don't call it the 'Decathlon from hell' for nothing kid. Did you really think they would give you a safety harness?"

"Well, yeah."

Something fell and landed in front of Ryder. It was a safety harness.

"I'm just kidding with ya kid." Kaeru said. "They may call it the 'Decathlon from Hell', but they aren't going to make you free climb to the top of the mountain with mist like that, but you should have seen the look on your face. I wish I had a camera. It was priceless."

Ryder put the harness on and pulled. A few seconds later he felt the Harness pull taut and he began climbing.

He had gone a decent amount up when he looked over to see Kaeru propelling himself up with his legs, and Saru was pulling himself up with his massive arms. They continued like that for the better part of an hour when they became engulfed in the mists, and everything became slick with moisture and hard to see.

Ryder continued climbing when he reached up and didn't feel anything. He pulled his arm down until he felt the lip of a rock and pulled himself up enough to see over the lip.

"Congratulation's maggot!" The Drill Sergeant yelled. "You placed third in the climb!"

Ryder was overcome with relief. "Oh, thank heavens."

"BUT YOU AREN'T DONE YET! Pull yourself up and meet in the mess tent to wait for the others! You can eat and get cleaned up! The duels start in an hour!"

Ryder pulled himself over the lip of the cliff and rolled onto his back. He undid the harness and crawled out and to his feet. 'Ten hours.' He thought. 'I've been at this for ten hours. Even if I don't win the duel. I feel like I've accomplished a great task, and I'm grateful for the chance to experience it.'

He staggered into the mess tent and sat down at a table letting out a sigh of exhaustion.

"I see you made it kid." Kaeru said. "Cheers." He raised his cup.

Saru brought him a cup and sat it in front of him. "I know we gave you some crap at the beginning, but the fact that you made it this far is proof that you belong here."

"Thanks. I feel great."

"You should. You've accomplished something that only a handful of people can say they've accomplished. So, drink that, take a cold shower, and get ready for the duel. Cause Kaeru and I didn't make it this far just to back down now."

"I will." Ryder said drinking the liquid in the cup. It was bitter. "What is that?"

"Coffee. No cream, no sugar, just straight black coffee. It'll wake you up."

Meanwhile on every earth with a Tim Drake.

The Tim Drake's and all their variations looked up as if someone had called their name.

"I want Coffee." They all said in unison.

Yu-Gi-Oh/Red Hood Universe.

Ryder looked at the cup. "What kind of Coffee is this?" He asked.

"It's a brand called 'Death Wish'. Kaeru said. "It's the most potent coffee you'll ever drink. One cup and you're awake for two days."

"When will it kick in?"

"If you lay down for 15 minutes it will kick in."

"How can you guys drink that stuff?"

"We have to. We work security for the Big Five at KaibaCorp. All of the security works three days at a time." Saru said. "So, we need to stay awake."

"We have this imported from New York City in the states." Kaeru added.

"Aren't there side effects?"

"Yeah. You'll sleep for three days to get back the sleep that you lost."

"So, after the Decathlon I'm going to sleep for three days!"

"Yup, but you'll be glad that you stayed awake if you win."

"I don't really care if I win. I just wanted to experience the Decathlon."

"The duel is part of the Decathlon."

"I guess you're right." He sighed. "So why did you guys enter the Decathlon?"

"We're leaving KaibaCorp to work for Industrial Illusions." Saru explained.

"Yeah." Kaeru continued. "The Big Five are up to something, and we don't feel like getting fired by Mr. Kaiba if he finds out. So, we scheduled an interview with Pegasus, and he said that we had to enter this Decathlon in order to be hired."

"Why did you guys choose Pegasus?"

"We didn't. We got emails from Industrial Illusions saying that we should come work for them."

"The email also had proof that the Big Five were up to something."

"And that didn't ring any alarm bells?" Ryder asked.

Saru and Kaeru looked at each other.

"Look." Saru said. "We're not dumb. We may not be the sharpest knives in the knife block, but we aren't dumb."

"Yeah." Kaeru continued. "We paid more attention at work, and ya want to know what we found?"

"What?" He asked.

"The proof was right there in front of us the whole time. All we had to do was look."

"And when we did, we saw that the Big Five are headed for early retirement if they're lucky." Saru said.

"And life in prison if they aren't."

Ryder gulped. "What did they do?"

Kaeru looked around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping. "They're War Criminals." He whispered.

Ryders eyes grew big. "Wh-what?" He asked.

"It's true." Saru said. "They are also planning on getting rid of the Kaiba brothers."

"What! Why haven't you called the police?"

"Industrial Illusions told us not to, that they had everything under control."

"That sounds crazy. What if the Big Five kill the Brothers Kaiba before then?"

"Industrial Illusions said that they were taking care of it."

Ryder didn't like it, but he guessed that if they were safe then it was okay. "What deck are you guys playing?"

"We don't know." Saru said.

"What?"

"We don't know." Kaeru repeated. "Mr. Pegasus told us that he wanted to see how well we duel with a disadvantage. He gave us brand new decks that he told us not to open until the duel otherwise we wouldn't be hired, and we would be blacklisted."

"Yikes. Pretty heavy price over a card game."

"Not really. It's testing our ability to handle unforeseen situations that come up instantly. If we show promise here, then we could be hired on as Security for Industrial Illusions."

"Yeah. It'll be a nice change of pace."

"I see. So, how do you guys know each other?" Ryder asked.

"We're Brothers." Saru said.

"Yeah." Kaeru continued. "We met in the Foster System and have been inseparable since."

"Nice. I'm sorry that you guys ended up there, but I'm glad something good came from it."

The tent flap opened revealing five more contestants.

"On your feet maggots!" The Drill Sergeant yelled. "It's time to choose the dueling order.

Four of the contestants sat at the table and tapped it with their hands.

"No more." One said hoarsely. "I'm tapping out. I'm exhausted."

"Yeah." The others agreed.

The Drill Sergeant smiled a cruel smile. "I said that we were going to determine the dueling order. I never said that we would be dueling Yet."

"AH! Damn it!" One of the men yelled.

"Sorry Gentleman. No take backs. In another note. You four will be competing in the duels starting tomorrow morning. So be ready."

They drew lots on who would be dueling first.

Duel one

Ryder Furukawa Vs. Kaeru Shoki

Duel two

Saru Sumibumi Vs. Alexander Surge

Ryder looked at Surge. Surge was the fourth man who helped them carry the log and he'd talked to before the mud crawl. He gave a curt nod.

Surge didn't even acknowledge him.

"Good luck brother." Kaeru said to Saru holding out his fist for a fist bump.

"Same to you." Saru said returning the fist bump.

"If that's everything!" The Drill Sergeant yelled. "Get ready. Because tomorrow will be here sooner than you think!"

"Yes sir!" They yelled.

With that the Drill Sargent left, and they were left to their own devices.

Someone grabbed Ryder by his neck and put him in a headlock. "How did you make it this far boy!" The man who'd told him to 'respect his betters' hissed in his ear.

"Through dedication and hard work." Ryder snapped back.

"I don't believe it. I think you cheated or bribed them to let you take the easy way up."

"Let him go Charlie!" Saru snapped.

"He cheated!" Charlie yelled. "He had to have cheated!"

"He didn't! We climbed the mountain with him! We saw him climbing it!"

"Even in the Mist!"

"The only reason they would pull him up..." Kaeru said. "... is if his rope went taut for more than five minutes. He would have been counted as unable to continue and sent home with the rest of you."

"No! He had to have cheated!"

Ryder tried twisting out of Charlie's grip, but Charlie tightened his grip, and he could feel his windpipe close. He needed air.

Kaeru jumped into the air and snapped one of his legs into Charlie's face breaking his nose while Saru grabbed his arms and pried them apart like they were a piece of paper.

Ryder jumped away from Charlie and started coughing. "Thanks guys." He said through gasps of breath as he tried to get Oxygen to his lungs.

"No problem." Saru said as he put Charlie into a headlock and pushed him towards the tent flap. He pushed him away from him and Kaeru kicked him outside the tent.

"Anyone else?" Kaeru asked.

The other contestants shook their heads.

"Good. Now take a shower and go back to the hotel."

The remaining contestants left the mess tent.

"You okay Ryder?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I'm more startled than anything."

"Good. I'd still talk to the medic but take a shower first. You're pretty rank."

"You're one to talk." He snarked.

"Touché."

Ryder did cave though, not because he was told to, but because a shower sounded so damn good right about now. He couldn't wait to let the hot water run over his bruised and battered body... the universe had other ideas.

Ryder lay on his cot, shivering. The shower had been ice cold, and it hadn't done a damn thing for his muscles other than make him more alert to his sore and aching muscles.

"How ya feeling?" Saru asked.

"I hate you guys."

"You'll get used to it." Kaeru said.

"Want to play poker?" He asked.

"Sure. Why the hell not." Kaeru said pulling out a deck of cards.

They gathered around the table and began playing.

Jason walked into his room and sat on the floor to meditate.

He entered his mindscape and walked to the room at the end of the hall. He knocked. The door opened and he was pulled inside before being thrown across the room.