Kaiba three years ago
Kaiba groaned as he woke up. "Where... am I?" He asked.
"You're with me." Seto Kaiba." An annoying, nasal voice said.
"Huh?" Kaiba asked. "Witty Phantom! You took me prisoner in my own game!?"
"Yes."
"The release me! I command you!"
"This is no longer your world to command. Your games been reprogrammed, you're late to the party."
"Gee, I never liked parties."
"But you're the guest of honor, or at least you will be... very soon. You see, you will have the great Privilege of being our offering to the dove headed Dragon. Till then, your misery will be in my capable hands."
"That's enough! Override Protocol! End this simulation!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." The Witty Phantom tsk'd. "I told you things have changed. Your codes been overwritten, and. Ow all your silly safety precautions are a thing of the past. Now excuse me..." Witty Phantom tipped his hat to Kaiba. "... there's so much to do before the other offering is brought here."
"Huh? Other offering?"
"I know you love the spotlight, but this time you'll have to share." The Witty Phantom laughed wickedly.
"Come back!" Kaiba demanded.
In response the Witty Phantom Disappeared.
Kaiba growled and looked around at his prison. He was hanging from a rock by his arms, but they left his legs hanging free. That would be their undoing. It would take him a while to do, but he could still level up this way. He crossed his ankles and lifted his legs with his core. Hanging Knee Raises wouldn't do much, but it would increase his strength and Dexterity; as well as give him something to do.
He would do this and fall sleep. That was really the only two things that he could do right now.
In the real world
The door opened up and a hand reached in.
Saru grabbed the hand and broke up causing the person on the other side to scream.
"We're getting in there." A voice said pointing a shotgun inside the room.
Kaeru kicked the shotgun up with a sickening crunch as the wielder's arm broke.
"Okay!" A deeper voice said. "No more mister nice guy!"
There was the click of a magazine being loaded and Saru and Kaeru grabbed TéA and Tristan and dove to the floor as machine gun fire tore through the door.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Saru yelled. "THERE ARE KIDS IN HERE!"
The machine guns turned away and began firing down the hall.
There was a war cry and suddenly the door budged as someone hit it.
"You guys okay!?" A voice asked.
"Whoever you are!" Kaeru snapped. "You're not getting in here!"
"I'm Shiera." The voice said. "I'm a mechanic. I came to see if Mokuba and Jason were here because I finished a project for Jason, but when I got here, I saw this. What's going on?"
"The Big Five want to trap the others in the virtual world essentially killing them."
"Why!"
"So, they can go back to war profiteering!" Saru yelled.
"We'll see about that." Shiera said. There was the signature click of an extendable baton. "Don't worry. Connor and I won't let anyone get through here."
"They have guns!" TéA shouted.
"And I've got Connor." Shiera said.
Present Day
Jason, Kazutaka, Ryder, Joey, and Yugi found themselves standing on the deck of a flying machine.
"It worked!" Joey yelled.
The flying machine rose into the sky and the crowd below started cheering.
"We're coming Kaiba!" Yugi shouted.
Joey ran to the wheel and took control. Pushing the flying machine to its limit.
Once they broke through the clouds Joey began talking. "Dis is Yer Captain speakin' if you look to da left, you'll see clouds and the Castle o' Da'k Illusions and some monsta's. Fortunately, Yug was able ta stop most of dem back at the palace. Now, let's fight!"
Kazutaka let all of her dragons out to play while Jason let his Dark Valkyrias out.
"Joey!" Jason yelled. "Take us in!"
A Monster came in for an attack against Yugi, but he wasn't going to be able to stop it in time.
A fairy flew in front of Yugi and took the hit for him.
Time slowed down as Yugi saw that the Fairy was Earu, Adena's Fairy guide. She must have followed them, and now she's sacrificed herself to save him. "NNOOO!" He yelled as his Millennium Puzzle flashed and he changed into the Pharaoh. "Dark Magician!" He yelled. "DARK MAGIC ATTACK!"
The Dark Magician appeared, and the world went negative when the Dark Magician attacked.
"Joey!"
They hit a barrier and had to push their way through.
"Look out!" Kazutaka said. "It's Salamandra!"
"Millennium Shield!" Ryder yelled.
The fire blast from Salamandra hit the Millennium Shield and was deflected.
"Dark Valkyria! Rip and Tear!"
Salamandra was ripped apart and the flying machine crashed into the Castle of Dark Illusions.
"Everybody off!" Jason yelled, motioning for them to leave.
Everyone jumped off the flying machine to the entrance of the Castle of Dark Illusions.
Jason was about to jump off when the Flying Machine crashed, and he fell towards the back.
The others watched as Jason fell, but saw a grappling hook catch into a stone. They looked down and saw Jason climbing up the rope.
"I'm glad Jason is in our side." Ryder said.
The others agreed and they helped Jason up.
"Let's go find the Kaiba brothers." Jason said.
Kaiba Present day
Kaiba woke up and started doing Hanging Knee Raises when he heard the Witty Phantom call his name.
"I brought you a present Kaiba." The Witty Phantom said as he opened a portal and Mokuba rolled out and to his feet.
"You want to go!" Mokuba yelled drawing a card.
"I'm afraid that I can't allow that." Witty Phantom said before he looked down to see a dagger sticking through his chest. "Oh. That's just not fair." He said as he slumped to the floor.
"Neither was taking Mokuba." Jason said, walking over the body.
"Jason!" Mokuba yelled.
Kaiba looked up to see Jason, Mokuba, Yugi, Joey, and two others that he didn't recognize... wait, no, he did recognize them. They were Mokuba's friends from the diner. He'd done background checks on them to make sure they weren't going to hurt Mokuba. One of them was named Ryder Furukawa. He was dating Tina von Brand, Blue Eyes knew how a chump like him had gotten with a champion Duelist like Tina Von Brand. She was probably dating him out of pity.
The other was a waitress at the diner named Kazutaka Nozomu. She wasn't anything special.
"Stop thinking Kaiba!" Jason snapped. "Before you put your foot so far down your throat it comes out your ass."
"What did you say to me?!" Kaiba demanded.
The Witty Phantom bounced back up. "Oh my, oh my. It looks like..."
"Chaos Sorcerer. Remove this ass hole from play."
"What?" The Witty Phantom asked before he was pulled kicking and screaming into a vortex of black and white.
"Now that that's taken care of." Jason said. "Let's beat the dragon."
"I didn't need YOUR help." Kaiba said as they helped him down from the stone he was tied to.
The group started running and we're surrounded by Strike Ninjas.
"Dark Valkyria's" Jason yelled.
Ryder flipped his coin and smiled an epic smile. "Time Wizard! Time Roulette!"
"Time Magic!" Time Wizard said as the roulette wheel on his staff began spinning. It stopped on the house and the Strike Ninja's were obliterated.
"Yes!" He cheered.
"Alright Ryder?" Joey cheered.
Kaiba glared at the two before they kept walking. He took out a Blue Eyes card and had it blast a hole in the floor to get down to the exit.
"Welcome Gamers." A Dark foreboding voice said. "You've managed to make it to the final level."
"Wrong!" Kaiba said. "I escaped from the Lava Pool. The Mythic Dragon wasn't summoned. I won the game."
"They took Administrative access Kaiba." Jason said. "They are effectively in charge."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Kaiba snapped.
"No! But what I do know!" Jason yelled, getting up in Kaiba's face. "Is that this is my third time trying to get out of this game! The Mythic Dragon is a Five Headed Dragon that is virtually unbeatable alone! Each head is level 20! The dragon itself is level 20! And it doesn't give a fuck that you have three Blue Eyes! Now! Pull your head! Out of your ass! And help us kill the fucking Dragon so we can finally go home!"
"Whoa. Whoa." Joey said. "Calm down Jay."
"The Game is over!" Kaiba yelled. "We can go home!"
"Oh ho." A smarmy voice said. "You may have beaten the game, but it's far from over."
The cavern they were standing in changed to a digital room, and the Five Headed Dragon appeared.
"All right everyone." Yami Yugi said. "Stick close. We win together or fall together."
"Dat's right Yug!" Joey agreed. "Now! Let's show de's guys dat we mean business!"
"Oh!" A voice said. "We've made it so that only Dragon type Monsters can be used here!"
"You dare Challenge me to a battle of dragons!" Kaiba laughed. "You fools! I summon Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
"Come on out Red Eyes!" Joey yelled.
"Let's Go Barrel Dragon!" Ryder yelled only for his Barrel Dragon to short circuit.
"Didn't you hear that only DRAGONS can be used in this Arena?" An acidic voice asked.
"Did someone say Dragons?" Kazutaka asked letting all of her Dragons out.
"Impossible!" Kaiba and the Big Five said in unison as Kazutaka's Dragons appeared on the battlefield and gained the 50% attack Bonus from her Dragon Monk Status.
"Unfortunately, not even your strongest Dragon is even a threat to us." The dark foreboding voice said.
"Luckily we've got these things called equip spells!" Kazutaka yelled equipping Rabidragon with Dragons treasure. "Not to mention! The field spell card Mountain!"
The field changed from the digital world to a mountain.
"Now! All of our dragons get a..." Kazutaka stopped talking when the mountain sparked and fizzled out.
"Weren't you listening?" The voice that Jason recognized as Gansley asked.
"Shut the fuck up Gansley!" Jason yelled as he summoned his Chaos Emperor Dragon.
"Why would you play that card again?" The acidic voice asked. "We've already beaten you when you used it before."
"That was when I didn't have the Millennium Eye to even the playing field!" Jason snapped. "Just try negating his effect now!"
In response the dragons attacked.
"AAAHHHH!" Three voice yelled out in pain.
Jason looked around and saw Kazutaka, Joey, and Mokuba fall to their knees. "NO!" He shouted as he ran over to them.
"Joey!" Yami Yugi tan over to his friend.
"MOKUBA!" Kaiba yelled as he ran over to his brother.
Ryder ran over to his friends and glared at the Dragon.
"Jason." Kazutaka said as she began dissolving. "I believe in you. You can beat them... together." With that Kazutaka dissolved along with Joey and Mokuba.
Kaiba tan over to Mokuba and held his brother while he dissolved.
"I'm scared Seto. I don't want to go back to the beginning of the game. I don't want to be alone."
"Don't worry Mokuba. We'll get you out of here." Kaiba promised.
Mokuba went to say something but dissolved before he could finish it.
Yugi ran over to Joey. "Joey!"
"Sorry Yug, but I'm done for."
"No! Don't say that!"
"So long bud. Kick dese creeps' butts for me, huh?"
"No! Stay with me Joey!"
Joey dissolved leaving his friends and Kaiba alone in the virtual world with the Big Five.
In the real world
Barbara was working on her computer when she saw the friends dissolve. She turned to look at the pods when she heard Mokuba, Kazutaka, and Joey yell in shock.
She wheeled over and helped them out of the pods only for them to fall down.
"Huh!" Joey yelled. "I can't move! Why can't I move!"
"It's because your body needs to acclimate back to the real world. You were in the game for so long that you're used to the sensations of the virtual world. Give it time."
"We don't have time!" Kazutaka yelled. "Please! Look through my deck. Find Mirror Force and Magic Cylinder. Put it in Jason's Deck Slot."
"Don't forget to add his Polymerization from his Duelist Kingdom Deck or his Terrorking Archfiend, Imprisoned Queen Archfiend, Checkmate, Pandemonium, and Polymerization from his Archfiend Deck!" Mokuba yelled. "They need all the help they can get!"
"'Ey! Give Yug my Red Eyes an' Polymerization!" Joey yelled.
"Don't forget about Ryder!" Saru and Kaeru yelled in unison. Kaeru gave Saru a few cards from his deck who ran them to Ryder's pod and put them in his deck slot and Added a few of his own.
"Please give Seto my Hieracosphinx and Shadow Spell." Mokuba asked. "He needs them!"
"Okay, okay." Barbara said as she went and gathered the cards that they'd requested her add and put them in their deck slots.
"Add these too please." TéA and Tristan asked handing her their cards to give Yugi.
Barbara nodded and added the cards before going back to her computer. It was time to put her own hacking skills to the test and help even the odds.
In the Virtual World
Jason looked at the five headed dragon and back to the place where Kazutaka, Joey, and Mokuba had been just a second ago. He looked at Ryder, Yami Yugi, and Kaiba before looking back at the Five headed dragon.
Kazutaka's last words kept repeating in his head as his pulse quickened. "I believe in you. You can beat them... together."
"It would appear that we broke the boy." Gansley chortled.
"Shut the fuck up." Jason seethed as he tried to get his breathing under control.
"Or else what?"
Jason drew a card that wasn't supposed to be in this deck. It was supposed to be in his Archfiend deck. He smiled an evil smile that made the temper drop ten degrees. "I PLAY THE PANDEMONIUM FIELD SPELL!" He roared as the Millennium Eye glowed gold.
"What!" The Big Five yelled in unison.
"And that's not all." Jason hissed. "You see. Now that this card is on the field, I make the rules now. Let's do this! COME ON OUT TERRORKING ARCHFIEND AND IMPRISONED QUEEN ARCHFIEND!"
"I'll summon the Dark Magician!" Yami Yugi yelled. "As well as Joey's Red Eyes!" He looked at the cards in his hand and smiled Joey, TéA, and Tristan were here with him. "And that's not all! I'll use Joey's Red Eyes, TéA's Magician of Faith, and Tristan's Cyber Commander to bring out Black Luster Soldier!"
Ryder smiled when he saw Unifrog and Ape Fighter. "I won't let you down guys!" He smiled. "I summon Buster Blader! And thanks to his effect he gets stronger the more dragons on your field and in your graveyard, and you technically have six!"
"What! No!"
"Now it's my turn!" Kaiba yelled. He drew a card and saw that it was a Hieracosphinx. It wasn't one of his, did that mean it was... "Mokuba." He spoke. "You got out of the game. Now! Let's finish this! I fuse my three Blue Eyes together to make Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
"Now that we have our best cards on the field!" Jason snapped. "It's our turn to destroy you!"
"How can you possibly destroy us? Each head as well as our dragon is 5000 attack! How do you plan on getting through our ultimate attack!"
"Through fusion!" Jason and Ryder yelled in unison.
"I fuse my Chaos Emperor Dragon..."
"With my Buster Blader!" Ryder finished.
"To make... CHAOS EMPEROR KNIGHT!" They finished in Unison.
A Black and Silver Dragon appeared on the field with a silver knight riding on its back.
Chaos Emperor Knight
ATK 4500 Def 3000
"And for my brother!" Kaiba yelled. "I'll fuse my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
"With my Black Luster Soldier!" Yami Yugi yelled.
"To fuse... Dragon Master Knight!"
"What!"
"Next!" Jason yelled. "We'll activate Chaos Emperor Knight's special ability! By nuking your side of the field, our Chaos Emperor Knight gains 300 attack for each! Taking his attack from 4500 to 6300!
"What!" Kaiba and Yugi yelled in unison.
"WHAT!" The Big Five yelled in terror as they began spiraling in a black and white void until they disappeared.
"Now! Chaos Emperor Knight! Attack the simulation! Take us home!"
Chaos Emperor Knight took in a breath and blew out a gust of Black and White energy that punched a hole in the simulation. Jason canceled his cards and put them away before he jumped through the hole. He was going home.
Ryder followed Jason and canceled his cards before jumping through the hole.
"Shall we go Kaiba?" Yugi asked canceling his cards.
"I would have beaten that dragon if Todd hadn't interfered!" Kaiba growled.
"I know. See you on the other side."
"Don't Patronize me!" Kaiba yelled as he canceled his cards and followed Yugi. When he entered the portal, he heard Todd singing:
"I'M FREEEEE! FREE FALLIN'!" Before his infernal singing stopped.
Kaiba blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, he was in the real world.
"SETO!" He heard Mokuba yell. "You're okay!"
"Yes Mokuba. I'm okay."
"Mr. Kaiba." Kaeru said. "We need to talk to you."
"About what!" He snapped.
"You're staff. They've been trying to get in here since you went in two hours ago."
"They've used any means to try and get in." Saru said. "We we've been able to hold them off, but they are still trying to get in."
As if on cue there was the sound of a bullet hitting the door, followed by two screams.
"TéA!" Yugi yelled.
"Shiera!" Jason and Mokuba yelled.
Saru pulled the barricade away and pulled two people inside the room before slamming the door closed and keeping it closed with his body.
"Security override!" Kaiba shouted. "Lockdown measures activate!"
There was the sound of a door slamming shut and bullets ricocheting off the door.
"Damn them!" Kaiba shouted. "Let's move to my panic room."
"Sorry for this sir." Saru said as he grabbed Kaiba and Mokuba before running to the panic room.
Kaeru picked up Ryder and helped him to the room.
Joey and Tristan helped Yugi up while TéA and Kazutaka helped Jason up while Barbara followed them.
The door to the panic room began closing and Saru grabbed it, so it didn't close all the way.
Jason grabbed a grapnel from his belt and shot it into the panic room before handing it to TéA and Kazutaka. "Tell Kaiba that I'll take it from here." He said before he let go and fell.
As soon as TéA, Kazutaka, and Barbara were in the panic room the door shut.
"What! No!" Kazutaka yelled. "Open the door!"
"I can't." Kaiba said. "The door won't open for at least an hour. Besides. We weren't staying here. This room has a trap door out of here." He said as he opened a trap door and the group fell into a slide that Carried them down to the parking garage.
"Get in!" Kaiba yelled, pointing at his Limo; the big one not the smallest of the three.
Kaeru and Saru put everyone in the limo and climbed in the driver and the passenger seats.
"We can't leave Jason!" Kazutaka yelled.
"We can and we did." Kaiba said. "He knew his place, and he has a way of getting out of bad situations."
"Don't worry Kazu." Mokuba said. "Jason will survive. He's survived a lot worse than this."
Jason rolled over and sat up before he scooted against the door to the Panic room. He took inventory of what he had.
Three dueling decks
Two 1911 handguns with two spare 15 round magazines each and one 15 round magazine already loaded and one in the chamber.
One razor sharp knife
And
His Millennium eye.
He had this.
There was a ticking sound coming for the door and Jason readied himself. His Millennium Eye glowed gold and he waited for the door to fall off its hinges.
Instead, the door exploded towards him and hit the door above his head if he'd been standing then he'd have been bisected.
There was a clicking sound and he rolled to the side only to be hit and electricity coursed through his body.
'Tasers. Of fucking course, it had to be tasers.' He thought before he passed out.
Kaiba had Kaeru and Saru drive them to a safe house. "We'll hide out in here until we hear back from Jason." He spoke.
"How will this place be any safer than KaibaCorp?" Ryder asked.
"Because. Jason AND I put my brain and his Know-how together to make this place the most secure place in Domino. He actually has some good ideas. Better than some people." He looked at Joey.
"'Ey!" Joey yelled.
They got out of the Limo and Kaiba walked towards the safe house. He placed his hand on a scanner. The door opened and he motioned the others in.
The others hurried inside and Saru and Kaeru drove around back and knocked on the back door.
They knocked twice, three times, four times followed by once and another five.
Mokuba opened the door and let them inside.
"Huh. Interesting password." Ryder said.
"It was Jason's idea." Mokuba said.
"Well, what do we do now?" Kazutaka asked.
"We wait until we hear from Jason. It shouldn't be too long."
Kazutaka looked around. The safe house looked like any other house. "What makes this place a "safe" house?"
"If anyone tries breaking in..." Mokuba said. "... let's just say they are in for a nasty surprise."
"Okay."
Kaiba walked to the office and pulled up the security footage from KaibaCorp. "Yeah. I don't think we're getting that call from Todd." He spoke.
"What?!" The group exclaimed.
"He's been taken."
"Who took him?"
"My old security guards."
"We need to go back there!" Kazutaka said.
"No. We're staying here. Todd knows his place."
"How can you say that!" Kazutaka yelled.
"Todd's place is to protect Mokuba. He did. He's still alive because they want Mokuba and I. He will stay alive until they get us."
Kazutaka glared at Kaiba before she ran off.
"Wait!" Mokuba yelled. "Where's Connor and Shiera?"
"What?"
"I pulled them into the room with us, but lost track of them after that." Saru said.
"Well, at least Todd isn't alone." Kaiba said.
KaibaCorp
Jason was hanging in the air by a chain.
"Where are the Kaiba brothers?" A guy in a suit asked.
"None-ya." Jason said. "As in None-ya Business."
"All you have to do is tell us where they are, and we'll let you go."
"Do you have some ocean front property in Arizona too?" Jason asked in faux excitement.
"What? No!"
"There's your answer."
"What! Why you little..." The man pulled out a gun and aimed it at Jason.
Jason let his Millennium Eye glow gold and they were transferred to the Shadow Realm where the man was killed by Imprisoned Queen Archfiend.
•Do you wish us to free you, my Warden?• She asked.
•No, no. I'm buying time for the others to get to the safe house.•
•As you wish, my warden.•
Jason left the Shadow Realm and the interrogator fell to the floor, soulless.
The door opened and another man came in, but Jason recognized this one.
"Connor?" He asked.
"Hey." Connor waved a hand. "Want some help down from there?"
"How long have I been here?"
"Um..." he flipped his phone open and saw the time. "We came here about three hours ago, so you've been here for at least an hour longer. Or did you mean since the raid?"
"Since the raid."
"Oh. Two hours since the raid."
"They should have had more than enough time to get to the safe house. So, sure. You can let me down. How did you guys not get caught?"
"We did." Connor said. "But thanks to Shiera we were able to get away fairly easily."
"How? They tased me."
"They tased us too. We woke up in a room, handcuffed to chairs. If we'd been strung up like that then maybe, we wouldn't have been able to escape."
"So, you guys picked the locks?"
"Sure." Connor said. "Let's go with that."
Jason entered the Shadow Realm. •Cut me free now.•
•As you wish, Warden.• Imprisoned Queen Archfiend said as she gripped the chains holding Jason up and pulled it out of the ceiling.
Jason hit the floor and rolled to his feet.
Connor grabbed Jason and broke the chains with his bare hands.
Jason looked at him in confusion. "That's not something you see every day."
"I work out." Connor said.
"Uh huh." Jason said. "Let's Go. Where's Shiera?"
"She's getting our ride."
"Okay. Let me grab my stuff and check it for trackers."
Jason walked over to the table where they'd put all of his stuff. He checked his stuff to make sure that it wasn't bugged. When he was sure that it wasn't, he armed himself and followed Connor.
They fought their way through KaibaCorp until they made it to the underground parking garage.
"Here!" Shiera yelled, her voice echoing through the Underground garage.
They ran to her, but Jason heard a click from behind them and vaulted over Connor, drew his gun, and shot at the shooter.
A KaibaCorp security guard fell to the floor, dropping his gun.
"How did you..." Connor asked.
"I free run." Jason said when he landed.
They ran to the hummer that Shiera had been working on and got in.
"Where's a phone?" Jason asked.
Shiera picked up a phone from the dashboard and handed it to him.
Jason dialed a number and held the phone to his ear.
The Safe House
Mokuba and Joey were pacing around the room while Barbara and Kaiba typed away at their keyboards when the phone rang.
"Hello?" Kaiba asked.
"Have Ryder and Yugi meet us at the diner." Jason said over the phone. "We'll walk from there."
"How do I know that you aren't being followed?"
"Why do you think we're walking back?"
"Are you going to be discreet about it?"
"Discreet? Do you know who you're talking to?"
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"Ten Minutes."
"Fine." Kaiba put the phone down. "Furukawa! Muto! Go meet Todd at that diner you like hanging out at."
"I'm going too!" Mokuba and Kazutaka yelled in unison.
"No!" Kaiba said. "I don't care if you go, Nozomu, but Mokuba, you're not going."
"Why not!" Mokuba demanded.
"Because. We don't know who is still after us. Todd wouldn't even let you go."
Mokuba growled but agreed.
"Now get going." Kaiba said.
"Hey Mokuba." Saru said. "How about we pass the time with a duel?"
"Yeah, okay, fine." Mokuba said.
"'Ey. Let me on dis action." Joey said.
"Sure. We can do a tag team duel." Kaeru said.
Ryder, Yugi, and Kazutaka moved through the streets of Domino City towards the diner.
They stopped every other block to make sure that they weren't being followed, and eventually made it to the diner.
When they walked in Ryder's phone rang.
"Hello?" Ryder asked.
"You were followed." Jason said over the line.
"What?" "Ryder asked.
"Dodge!"
Ryder pushed Yugi and Kazutaka to the side and ducked.
Someone tried coming in the diner, but a blur jumped over Ryder and kicked the person outside and over the rail.
"Now!" Jason snarled. "The Big Five are dead! You can stop trying to kill Seto and Mokuba Kaiba! If you don't..." Jason crushed the man's sun glasses and took his ear piece out. "Did you hear that?" He asked into the ear piece. "Your bosses are gone. Leave the Kaiba brothers alone, and I won't have to activate the Archfiend Protocol."
"What's the Archfiend Protocol?" Ryder asked.
"Shh." Jason said.
"Well, we haven't heard anything about the Big Five yet. So, until we do, we are going to continue with our orders."
"If you're really coming after the Kaiba brothers then you leave me no choice."
"Good luck."
"What's going on?" Ryder asked.
"I'm activating Archfiend Protocol."
"What is Archfiend Protocol?" Kazutaka asked.
"Get back to the safe house." Jason said before he ran into Domino City.
Jason ran to a safe house and ran inside.
The group following him ran in after him only to run into darkness.
"Where's Seto and Mokuba Kaiba!" A voice demanded.
"Right here." Kaiba's voice said.
The group turned to Kaiba's voice only for the lights to come on and show Jason standing in front of them wearing a red helmet.
"How about you guys leave. That way you don't have to throw your lives away?"
"Yeah, right kid." One spoke. "How are you going to stop us?"
Conner, Kazutaka, Ryder, Shiera, and Yugi walked back to the safe house and knocked on the door.
Saru looked outside and let them in. "Where's Jason?"
"He said that he was going to activate Archfiend Protocol."
"What!" Mokuba yelled. "Are you sure that he said "Archfiend Protocol?!"
"Yes."
Mokuba looked scared.
"What's wrong Mokuba?"
"Archfiend Protocol. It's...
Jason through Duel Monster's cards into the air.
...something that Jason designed for times when shit hit the fan."
"I'm going to kill Todd for teaching you that!" Kaiba yelled.
The group looked in the air as the cards fell. They were so distracted that they didn't see Jason taking his Helmet off.
"Jason said that it would make sure that it would make the problem less of a problem."
"How?"
"He's going to..."
Jason's Millennium Eye glowed gold and the safe house was filled with screams as the safe house became less crowded.
"... make them wish that they had stopped when he let them.
Jason picked up the Cards and looked through them to see all of the cards. "You should have left when you had the chance."
"Jason is willing to go the distance when it comes to people he cares about, and people he's supposed to protect."
"He takes it really seriously, doesn't he?"
"You have no idea."
"WHAT!" Kaiba yelled from the other room. "How is that possible!"
"What!" Mokuba yelled running into the room.
"I was looking through the data from Legendary Heroes and found this!" He said pointing at the data.
Dragon Lord Seto
Level 10 HP 112
Mana 10GP 10
Strength: 26
Dexterity: 22
Constitution: 30
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 18
Charisma: 30
"That's not too bad Seto. What's wrong?"
"Look at Todd's!"
Assassin Lord Todd
School of Illusion Alumni and Valedictorian
Head of the Dark Brotherhood
Former Head of the Blacksmith Guild
Former Head of the Thieves Guild
College of Winterhold Alumni
Bards College Alumni
School of Conjuration Alumni
School of Necromancy Alumni
School of Evocation Alumni
School of Abjuration Alumni
School of Transmutation Alumni
School of Divination Alumni
School of Enchantment Alumni and Valedictorian
College of Silverquill Alumni and Valedictorian
College of Prismari Alumni
College of Witherbloom Alumni and Valedictorian
College of Lorehold Alumni
College of Quandrix Alumni
Covenant of the Blade of Dark Moon.
Oath of Vengeance
Level 20* HP 203
Mana20 GP 600,000,000
Strength: 50
Dexterity: 50
Constitution: 50
Intelligence: 50
Wisdom: 50
Charisma:50
"How did Todd Max out all of his levels! How did he go to all of the schools!"
"Uh. He was trapped there for three years?" Kazutaka asked
"No. It's because he went to the School of Illusions first." Mokuba said. "He would have been able to create realistic copies of himself with that knowledge. Then he could take on every School, every Guild, every Oath, and every Covenant."
"That explains why he is level 20*."
"What is level 20*?" Ryder asked.
"Let's just say that when I update the game and add 79 more levels that he'll jump up to at least level 50."
"Oh. Wow."
Kaiba scrolled down.
Rogue Lord Mokuba the Trickster
Thieves Guild master
College of Silverquill Alumni
School of Illusions Alumni
Oath of Vengeance*
Blade of the Dark Moon Covenant
Level 20 HP 203
Mana 17 GP 100,000
Strength: 30
Dexterity: 41
Constitution: 38
Intelligence: 41
Wisdom: 37
Charisma: 36
"Mokuba?"
"Yes Seto."
"Why did you go to Silverquill, the School of Illusions, take up more than one Oath of Vengeance, join the Covenant of the Blade of the Dark Moon, and become the Guild master for the Thieves Guild?"
"I went to Silverquill because it would help me with my Speech, allowing me to talk my way into places and out of bad situations. I went to the School of Illusions to help me to be able to sneak around better and to be a better thief. I took up an Oath of Vengeance for you and another for Jason, and I joined the Covenant of the Blade of the Dark Moon so I could be a better Rogue."
"I See. So, Jason had no part in why you chose those?"
"Jason went to every School. No matter what I'd have gone to a School that Jason went to. You were taken and I wanted to get you back, so I took up an Oath of Vengeance for you. Jason had been stuck there trying to get out for going on three years. So, I took another Oath of Vengeance for him. No. Jason had no part in why I chose what I chose. I chose them to better my character. Which you really need to update the game so that there's more than 20 levels, and you should probably change it to an EXP. Based way of leveling up, and you need to add sensation so that people don't go insane after being trapped in the game for three years without feeling any sensation."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Seto. Did you feel any sensation while trapped in the game?"
"No, but why is that important?"
"Normal people need to be able to use their senses!" Kazutaka exclaimed. "You might not need to feel or taste or smell, but other people do!"
Seto looked at them only for them to nod.
"I See... I'll take that under advisement."
There was a knock on the door. Two, three, four, one, five.
Saru opened the door and Jason walked in.
"Your staff is no longer an issue. The ones who wanted to kill you guys that is. I'd run a fine toothed comb over the rest, Fire anyone who's suspicious and rehire with the strictest of parameters."
"How the hell did you max out your character!" Kaiba demanded.
"Uhh... I'm confused. What's going on?"
"In Legendary Heroes! You maxed out your level! HOW!"
"I went to the School of Illusions, learned how to make a million copies of myself, went to the other schools, took up Oaths, Covenants, and became the mayor of the town. Why?"
"Then how did you get 600,000,000 GP!"
"Uhh... I did quests, took on different challenges, didn't spend any of it, played the game. Why?"
"Because! GP in the Game translates to shares of KaibaCorp!"
"Uhh... what?"
"In other words! One GP is equal to 0.01 shares of KaibaCorp!"
"Meaning that you have 6,000,000 of KaibaCorp stock!" Mokuba yelled in shock.
"Holy shit." Jason said among the shouts of surprise.
"That makes you even more rich!" Mokuba said.
"I think that gives you a substantial part of KaibaCorp!" Ryder yelled.
"What is that, responsibility? Get that shit away from me." Jason said.
"Unfortunately!" Kaiba snarled. "It was recorded by the company! All of you gained a stocks in KaibaCorp! Even Wheeler!"
"'Ey! I got 404,257,500 Yen from Pegasus! Keep yer stocks, Kaiba!"
"Keep talking Wheeler!" Kaiba snapped as he scrolled down and growled. "How the hell did Wheeler become the Guild master to the Blacksmiths Guild! AND GRADUATE QUANDRIX!"
"'Ey! Easy Kaiba! Kazutaka was da one ta help me out dere. She was able ta help me with da homework and I was able ta graduate and take da final exam. It was fusion summoning."
"I know what it is Wheeler! I designed the game!"
"Den why're ya so mad Kaiba!"
"Because! Quandrix is one of the most challenging schools in the game! And you graduated from it!"
"Tank Kazu! She tut'red me all year long! She's da reason I graduated!"
"It doesn't make sense! How could YOU! YOU!"
"You tink dat just because I don't have yer money, or yer company means dat I'm stupid!"
"You are! You can barely get passing grades if School, and you graduate the most difficult school in the game!"
"Enough!" Jason snapped. "Now that you two are no longer hunted, I'm heading home. You coming Mokuba, or you going to stay?"
"Go Home Mokuba." Kaiba said. "I have work to do."
"Okay Seto." Mokuba said sadly.
"You know that he went into the game to save your sorry ass?" Jason asked. "This is your thanks?" He walked out after Mokuba leaving Kaiba with the group.
"I need to get going." Ryder said.
"Same." Kazutaka agreed.
"I need to get back to my grandpa." Yugi said.
"An' I need ta get ta Serenity." Joey said to everyone who wasn't Kaiba.
"And we need to get back to the shop." Shiera said as her and Conner left the safe house.
"Bye Conner." Kazutaka Said.
"Bye Kazu." Conner replied. "See you at dinner on Sunday?"
"Yup. See you then. If you see Daisuke before I do tell him, I said hi."
"Will do, same goes for you."
"I will."
The two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
"I need to get back to Industrial Illusions." Barbara said. "Mr. Pegasus is expecting me. Are you two going to stay?" She nodded at Kaeru and Saru.
"Mister Kaiba needs us." Saru said. "So, thanks, but no thanks."
"Okay. Goodbye." She said as she wheeled herself outside. A Transport helicopter landed, and Barbara wheeled up the ramp.
With everyone else gone Kaiba looked at each other player from Legendary Heroes.
Dragon Monk Kazutaka
College of Quandrix Alumni and Valedictorian
School of Abjuration Alumni and Valedictorian
Level 20 HP 143
Mana 17 GP 50,000
Strength: 43
Dexterity: 45
Constitution: 36
Intelligence: 31
Wisdom: 37
Charisma: 28
Cards Found:
Chaos Emperor Dragon
He scrolled down to the next one.
Rogue Lord Ryder the Scout
College of Lorehold Alumni and Valedictorian
Level 20 HP 204
Mana 7 GP 100,000,000
Strength: 34
Dexterity: 45
Constitution: 45
Intelligence: 28
Wisdom: 40
Charisma: 31
Cards found:
Buster Blader
Millennium Shield
Millennium Scorpion
Golden Sarcophagus
He growled when he saw that Ryder had collected 100,000,000 GP. He was going to have to change the game so that the players didn't get KaibaCorp stock whenever they acquired GP. Annoying. He scrolled down to Yugi's character.
Yugi the Bright
School of Conjuration Alumni
School of Transmutation Alumni
Level 20 HP 182
Mana 35 GP 10,000
Strength: 28
Dexterity: 36
Constitution: 45
Intelligence: 45
Wisdom: 33
Charisma: 34
Cards Found:
Black Pendent
Horn of Light
Mage Power
Magical Formula
One Shot Wand
Wonder Wand
Apprentice Illusion Magician
Bond Between Teacher and Student
Dark Eradicator Warlock
Dark Magic Curtain
Dark Magic Expanded
Dark Magic Inheritance
Dark Magic Twin Burst
Dark Magic Circle
Dark Magician Girl
Dark Magician Knight
Knights Title
Magician Stone
Magician's Valkyrie
Sage's Stone
Skilled Dark Magician
How had Yugi gotten so many be cards while Jason hadn't gotten any new cards? He moved back up to Wheeler's character.
Joey the Barbaric
Guild master of the Blacksmiths Guild
Quandrix Alumni
Level 20 HP 224
Mana 5 GP 100,000
Strength: 45
Dexterity: 36
Constitution: 45
Intelligence: 31
Wisdom: 34
Charisma: 36
Cards found:
Cursed Armaments X15
Lucky Iron Axe
Metalsilver Armor X5
Why did looking at Wheeler's character piss him off so much? Was it because this was proof that Wheeler wasn't as pathetic as he wanted him to be? Did he not want to acknowledge Wheeler as someone who had potential? But if he was able to graduate from Quandrix then it proved that he had potential. Why did his potential infuriate him so much?
He needed to think, he pulled out his Duel Disk prototype and started tinkering with it.
Jason, Mokuba, Ryder, and Kazutaka made their way to the Diner. They sat down at their usual booth and ordered food.
"Did we really just spend a year in the Virtual World?" Kazutaka asked.
"Almost two years." Ryder said. "Jason spent almost three and Kaiba spent almost four."
Kazutaka took Jason's hand in here's and felt him shiver at her touch. It was a nightmare, not being able to feel, taste, or smell for a year. How had Jason managed three?
"Do you guys still know how to do the things that you learned in the game?" Mokuba asked. "Cause I remember how to pick pockets, steal without getting caught, and sneaking around without being seen."
"I mean. I know how to properly dig for and handle artifacts." Ryder said.
"I know how to do more complex math problems." Kazutaka said.
"I know how to do all of that." Jason said. "And more."
"How did you max out your stats?" Mokuba asked.
"There are certain artifacts that will boost certain stats, plus each school will boost certain stats. I went to every School, every College, every Guild. I wanted to beat that damn dragon and go home so fucking bad that I did everything in my power to get the job done."
"The Big Five had Administrative Control." Mokuba said. "They could have kept you there forever, but thankfully we were able to get your Millennium Eye back."
"Yeah. That really did help out a lot. Thanks."
Mokuba nodded.
Their food arrived and they ate in companionable silence. When they finished, they paid, and Ryder left.
A limo pulled up and Kaiba rolled down the window. "Come on Mokuba. I need your help with something."
Jason checked and didn't see anyone else in the limo but Saru and Kaeru, and Kaiba was really Kaiba. "You can go if you want." Jason said.
Mokuba ran to the limo and got in, leaving Jason and Kazutaka alone.
"Come on." Kazutaka said taking Jason's hand in hers.
Jason actively resisted reading her mind, so much so that he didn't realize where she was leading him until they'd arrived. "Uhh... where are we?"
"It's, uh, it's my apartment." Kazutaka explained. "I fighters that you wouldn't want to be alone tonight. So, I..."
"Kazu..." Jason began.
"If you don't want to that's fine." Kazutaka rambled. "I just thought."
Jason grabbed Kazutaka and held her in place. "Thank you." He spoke.
"You're Welcome."
Kazutaka led him up to her apartment and let him inside. Jason looked around the apartment. she had a diploma from Domino high with honors and was the valedictorian. She'd had to have graduated early and at the top of her classes. she wasn't just smart, they weren't regular classes either. They were AP classes. That meant that she was a genius.
There were pictures on her wall. One picture had her and Conner standing in it. Another picture of her and her parents hung next to a picture of her and her cousin and his family. Her cousin was a big time reporter who lived with his wife and son in Domino's upper class district.
Kazu lived in a one bedroom apartment, worked at a diner barely making minimum wage and tips.
'Oh.' Jason thought. 'Kazu doesn't talk about Her parents. It must be painful to talk about. I won't ask her about them. I should let her bring them up.'
'Oh Rao. He's going to think that I'm just using him for his money. Oh Rao, oh Rao, oh Rao.'
"Who's Rao?" Jason asked.
"What?"
"Who's Rao? Sorry. I caught that."
"Oh." Kazutaka blushed bright red. "Rao. He's the god that my cousin and I worship."
"Cool."
"Do you believe in a god?"
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
"No. After everything that I've been through, everything that I've seen, every time that I've asked for help only to be left alone. I can't believe in someone that asks for me to worship them only to be ignored when I need help. So, no. I don't believe in a god. I'll believe in Duel Monsters since it's been there for me since I started playing and hasn't abandoned me."
"Oh." Kazutaka went quiet for a second. "I suppose in a way that if you believe in your deck that it's your faith. So, in a sense, Pegasus is..."
"Don't finish that." Jason said. "The guy's already looney. The last thing he needs is a god complex. If anything, the Egyptian gods are the ones I should worship since they were the inspiration for the game."
"Oh. Okay. Are you going to?"
"I don't know. We'll see."
"Okay. Ya know. The way I see it. You're Technically three years older. So that makes you 19, and I'm technically two years older making me 19 too."
"Careful. Technicalities can be dangerous things. What are you thinking?"
Kazutaka bit her lip, and she grabbed his hand. "Come with me." She said as she pulled him through the house.
America
"... I'll play a second Solar Flare Dragon!" Mina yelled. "And I'll activate Gravity Bind!"
"OOF!" The announcer yelled into the mic. "DID MINA VON BRAND JUST SNAG ANOTHER VICTORY?!"
"I end, and thanks to my Solar Flare Dragons effects! You lose 1000 life points!"
"NNOOO!" Their opponents said.
"OOH! THE TERRIBLE TWINS GOT BURNED, and with a name like that I can't say I'm surprised. THE VON BRANDS WIN THEIR TWENTY FIFTH CONSECUTIVE TAG TEAM DUEL! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEAN!?
"It means that they get a meeting with me, Maximilian Pegasus!" Pegasus said as he walked onto the Dueling arena. "Where I give them these!" He held up two packets. "These packets will allow them to bring a plus one each and five friends, each, on a tour of Industrial Illusions where they will be permitted to design cards next to my fabulous card designers as well as make a deck out of any and all the cards in my inventory."
"For the 25th consecutive win?" Tina asked. "Shouldn't that be the 100th consecutive win prize?"
"Oh no my dear." Pegasus placed his hand over the mic. "The 100th place prize is... a secret that I can't tell you about. Make it to the 100th consecutive win and you will get the best prize ever. Let me just say that the 50th, 75th, and 100th place prizes only get better the higher you go up."
"Is the 100th place price a chance to duel you and take over the Industrial Illusions company?" Mina asked.
"How did you guess that?"
"My boyfriend was an Eliminator for you at Duelist Kingdom. He said that that was the kind of thing you'd do."
"Is your Boyfriend by chance Montgomery?"
"How did you know?"
"I did my research into Montey boy. I'm glad that you got the flowers. I fancy myself an amateur Matchmaker you know."
"Wait. You're the one who sent the flowers?"
"As Proxy for Montey boy. He's so shy you know."
"Oh. I know. You should have seen the way he kept fidgeting when we first met. He asked me if I liked Duel Monsters."
"You're joking!" Pegasus gasped.
"Nope. We were at a dueling Arena. I thought he was pulling my leg at first, but then Tina decided to play Matchmaker too."
"She did? What did she do?"
"I pushed them into each other and made them fall for each other. They talked concussions over Coffee and six months later made it official."
"Their relationship or they got married?"
"Their relationship. Though don't worry. They'll be married soon enough."
"Tina. I love you as my sister, but you need to stop talking."
"Whatever for?" Pegasus asked. "It's just talk among friends."
Mina pointed at the crowd who were listening with rapt attention.
"Oh. Sorry."
The crowd pulled out their phones and began texting.
"Fuck." Mina swore.
"Ooh. My bad."
Montgomery.
Montgomery was getting ready to duel when he heard someone in the crowd yell.
"HEY GUYS! MONTGOMERY AND MINA VON BRAND ARE GETTING MARRIED!"
The crowd burst into applause and cheers of approval.
"Damn it, Tina." Montgomery swore.
Domino City; the next morning.
Jason woke up the next morning in a place that didn't smell the same as his house or the Kaiba mansion. It smelled... like Kazutaka. His Millennium Eye told him that Kazutaka was sleeping next to him , dreaming about... him. He opened his normal eye and saw that Kazutaka was asleep next to him. She rolled over and looked into his eyes.
"M'rning." She mumbled.
Jason climbed out of bed and looked down to see that he was in his boxers and muscle shirt. Good. They hadn't crossed any lines last night. Just slept together. He walked into the kitchen and started the coffee maker before rummaging in the refrigerator.
"Take out, take out, take out." He said as he looked.
"Sorry." Kazutaka said. "I tend to eat out a lot."
"No problem." Jason said. "Let's get dressed and we'll get breakfast at the diner."
"You mean..."
"No." Jason said. "You don't have to be worried that you don't have food..." Jason grabbed his bag and pulled a bag out of it, tossing it to Kazutaka. "I'll pick up some groceries while you're at work."
"No! I mean... no. Please don't. I get paid today, and I'll go shopping later."
"Why is it a problem for me to buy you some groceries?"
"Because! I still have my pride."
Kazutaka's phone rang, and she answered it.
Jason read fear rolling off of Kazutaka.
'What! No! Why are they letting me go!?'
"But... why?"
'No! This isn't fair!'
"All right."
'Who bought the diner? Why are they tearing it down? Why didn't they give us time.'
"Thanks. You too. Good luck."
'KaibaCorp bought the diner and are tearing it down for a new project. Why?'
Jason pulled out his phone and sent a text to Mokuba.
J: Did Seto buy Kazutaka's diner and decide to destroy it for something else?
He looked at Kazutaka who was trying not to cry. She glared at him. "Did you have something to do with this!" She demanded.
"What? No! Why would you ask that? I know how much the diner meant to you. Why would I take it away?"
"So, you could swoop in and save the day like a knight in shining armor!"
"No. I'm not like that."
"Then prove it!"
"How?"
"I don't know, just prove it!"
Jason's phone dinged and he looked at it.
M: I don't think so. Let me ask.
Jason showed Kazutaka the texts and she looked at him while they waited.
The Safehouse
Mokuba ran to find Seto and found him on the computer. "Seto? Did you order the diner to be demolished?"
"Yes." Seto Said in his neutral cold tone.
"Why?"
"I'm redesigning it. It will stay the same, but I'm upgrading its quality."
"Did you Fire everyone?"
"No. I let them Go until the place is rebuilt. They will be getting a stimulus check to get them through until it's built."
"How long will That take?"
"I gave the contractors a month to rebuild. They should be fine."
"Did you let them know before you started this project?"
"I sent them a letter explaining the situation. They'll get it within the next two weeks."
"But Seto. They are going to be scared."
"Fear is a part of life Mokuba. They'll Just have to deal with it."
Mokuba took out his phone and text Jason
M: Seto is having it rebuilt so he can upgrade it.
Mokuba waited a few minutes before he got a text back.
J: He could have at least told them the reason before they all lost their jobs for no reason.
M: He said that he sent a stimulus check and a letter explaining the reason why.
J: Typical Seto. Thinking like a computer rather than a person. Alright. Thanks, Mokuba. Now I Just need to calm Kazu down.
M: You're Welcome. Sorry.
Mokuba looked at his phone and looked back at Seto. Jason and Seto could be terrifying in their own way. Jason had called Seto a computer. That wasn't true. Seto was Like his Blue Eyes. A proud dragon believing himself all powerful; while Jason hid his true intentions in the shadows of his Bravado. He'd be four or five steps ahead of you and have a backup Tank Ready to Roll you over. Both were extremely powerful in their own way, but... Mokuba shuddered. He'd hate to see both of them in a fight against each other. Neither of them knew how to give up or surrender. They would fight till one or both of them were dead. He would however like to see them fight with each other... if they could work together That is. They would tear their opponent(s) to shreds.
Kazutaka's apartment.
Jason Seat Kazutaka down After she'd Read the messages between him and Mokuba. She'd become enraged at Kaiba. So, he'd gotten her some water and had her sit down.
They sat there for a while when Jason's phone rang. He looked at it and saw Joey's number. He flipped it open to tell him that it wasn't a good time, but Joey was already talking, he was actually yelling, but semantics.
"JAY!" He yelled into the phone. "Dere's dis guy at a new game store! He's not holding up ta his end of da bargain!"
"Joey. Now's Not really a good time."
"But Jay..."
"We're on our way Joey." Kazutaka said.
"Kazu? Why're ya crying?"
"We'll be there in a bit. Where are you guys?"
"Da Black Clown Game shop."
"We're on our way."
AN: I have one word for the rest of the fic. "Escalation."