Tag Force Alternative II: Twisting the Tale

by Hiyuusha

Konami dreamed of going Pro. Now, it's his reality. But since Wisteria kept her end of the bargain, the time has come to keep his. Returning to school in hopes of settling things with the North, he instead gets caught up in a clash to claim the three Sacred Beasts. Meanwhile, Jaden reunites with his old partner: Yubel. But only time will if they're a new ally... or foe. Pic by Bio!

12. Lesson Twelve: Burst Stream

"The Atmosphere?" Syrus breathed.

"Atticus…" Alexis gasped, "that card… it's amazing!"

Her older brother smiled at her, a confident grin on his face. "I know. Why do you think it's my ace? I scoured the whole world for this card. It's actually one-of-a-kind! And it's the perfect weapon to use when my Floowandereeze stop soaring!"

"Heh Heh Heh…" Nightshroud chuckled, though his lips were pulled into a grimace. "Interesting. It seems you students are more skilled than you were in my day…"

"Yeah? Well, thanks for the compliment, dude. It means a lot!" Atticus smirked. "So why don't you do everyone a favor and call it quits while you can?"

Nightshroud grinned. "And miss seeing the look on your face when you lose?"

"Oh, I won't be losin', pal. Trust me, you're in for a shock! I mean, I haven't even told you the Atmosphere's special effect!"

"Special Effect?" Nightshroud wondered, narrowing his eyes behind his mask.

Atticus wagged his finger and grinned. "Interested? I bet you are! See, while the Atmosphere is in play, it can take a face-up Monster on the field into itself! Then, it gains Attack and Defense Points equal to the absorbed Monster's!"

"What?! Face-up Monsters?" Nightshroud repeated, glancing at his face-up Starry Knight, Starry Dragon.

"Seems like you understand. Atmosphere, do your thing!"

With Atticus's command, the bird-like creature shrieked and flapped its wings wildly, creating a swirling vortex that pulled at the Starry Dragon's gravitational field. Lifting it from the ground, the Atmosphere sucked it into itself, encapsulating the shining dragon within its previously empty sphere.

The Atmosphere - LV8 - WIND - Winged Beast - (3500/3100)

"Thirty-five hundred Attack Points?!" Jaden gasped. "Oh, man! That's awesome!"

"And it's about to get cooler, bro, because guess what? I've got this!" Atticus flashed a card in Jaden's direction before sliding it into his Duel Disk, creating a shimmering card hologram that hovered on the field before him.

What?! Double Attack?!"

"Your brother runs some crazy cards!"

"Yeah," Alexis agreed with a nod. "Now, if Atticus discards a Monster with a higher Level than the Atmosphere, it'll be able to attack twice this Battle Phase!"

"And I've got just the Monster for that, little sis," he grinned. He flashed another card at his friends. "I'm discarding a second Floowandereeze & Empen!"

"Nnngh…! A Level Ten?!" Nightshroud glowered, stepping backward.

"Now, you're in for a real kick, pal!" Atticus grinned, pumping his fist. "First, I'll take out your face-down Starry Dragon… and then, I'll attack you directly!"

Nightshroud's eye twitched behind his mask. "I have no face-downs… I'm defenseless!"

"Which means both of my attacks will go through! Now, Atmosphere… Attack!"

TAG FORCE ALTERNATIVE: TWISTING THE TALE
LESSON TWELVE
BURST STREAM

A menacing rumble echoed somewhere in the distance. Konami paused, glancing back toward the entrance with a frown on his face.

'Sounds like someone's dueling. Not that it has anything to do with me,' he turned toward his associate, watching as she hummed a tune while skipping forward.

"You know, this isn't quite what I had in mind when we came in here, Fujiwara."

"Oh, relax. It can't be that much further…" she purred, glancing back at him. "Or… are you saying you're scared?"

"You tryin' to call me a coward?" Konami scoffed and rolled his eyes. "As if. Stop wasting my time. You act like you actually know something about this place, but admit it. You're as much in the dark here as I am, aren't you?"

"Is that what you think?" she wondered, smiling as she turned her gaze back to the path ahead. "Well, that's disappointing. I'm not some damsel like Kami, you know? I've done my homework. Unlike your usual lackeys, I actually know where the power in this place is hiding."

Konami crossed his arms and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Oh, you're an expert now? Enlighten me, then. Why's it been nothing but empty corridors and broken statues since we got here?"

Wisteria stopped abruptly, spinning on her heel to face him. "Empty corridors? Fufufu… These are just preludes, darling. You should know that better than anyone. The deeper we go, the sweeter the rewards will be."

"Yeah, yeah. Save the theatrics for someone who cares," He pushed past her, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls. "If we don't find something worthwhile soon, I'm out. I've got bigger fish to fry than playing treasure hunter with you"

"Oh, Konami," she whispered, smirking while following close behind him. "You always rush ahead without thinking. Don't you see? That's why you need me. You might have the muscle, but I'm the one with the brains to make it all worth it."

He shot her a glare but didn't respond, unwilling to admit that she might have a point. Instead, he focused on the strange markings etched into the walls ahead. They glowed faintly, a bright golden hue that pulsed through the ruins like a heartbeat.

"You said you know this place. So what's with the light show?" he asked, gesturing toward the symbols.

"Ah. Noticed them, have you? It's a sign we're getting to the good part." Wisteria stepped forward, running her fingers lightly over the markings. "This is a ward. It's meant to keep out the wicked. And worse, the unworthy."

"Unworthy?" Konami raised an eyebrow. "You sure it's not just to keep out nosy little girls playing at being clever?"

Wisteria smirked. "Funny. You'll see how clever I am soon enough."

She hummed to herself, smirking as she traced the glowing runes with her fingers. The symbols pulsed brighter with each touch, their light dancing across the walls like ripples in a pond. Konami narrowed his eyes at her, tensing as if preparing for something.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" he snapped as the ruins grew brighter. "If this place was trying to keep people like us out, you're making it way too obvious we're here!"

"Exactly," she purred, stepping back and letting her fingers linger on the largest rune. "Do you really think these wards were just to scare us off? No darling. These ruins aren't just defenses. They're a test. And we're going to pass it."

"A test?" Konami scoffed, stepping closer. "And here I thought you were smart. This is a trap, plain and simple. And you're throwing us right into it!"

"Trap or trial, what's the difference?" she teased, winking at him cutely. "To take something as powerful as a Sacred Beast, we have to prove we're worthy. That's what this is for."

The light from the runes began to intensify as she pressed down on the rune, filling the corridor with a blinding glow that made Konami shield his eyes. "Ah…!"

"Relax," Wisteria replied. "This is what we want. You'll thank me once we're standing face-to-face with pure power."

"Master," Yae said. "Something's coming…!"

"Damn it, Wisteria! You stupid bit—!"

His words were cut off by the glow's intensity.

"See you on the other side, hun. You will try not to die, won't you?"

Whatever Konami responded with was lost in the blazing gold light.

-GX-

When he opened his eyes, Wisteria and the ruins were gone. In their place stood a massive gold chamber, shining with the same glowing runes.

"What…?" Konami whispered, "Teleportation? Is this a Spirit World like the one Bastion mentioned?"

He narrowed his eyes and thought of his cards.

"Yae," he said, "are you there?"

"Yes, my lord," the kunoichi replied, her words filling him with a sense of relief. "But we aren't alone."

"Yeah, I can tell," Konami muttered, turning his head to the stairs. Upon the landing stood a dark-skinned figure clad in white and black robes. A serpent-shaped staff sat in his hands, which he promptly stamped onto the floor.

"TRESPASSER!" he roared, the voice echoing off the walls of the chamber. "Leave this place, lest your darkness stain my Lord's holy grounds."

"Oh, great. Another Duel Spirit," Konami grunted, glaring at the figure. 'I'd recognize that ugly mug of his anywhere! It's Gravekeeper's Chief!' His eyes narrowed as he doublechecked his surroundings. 'But this isn't Necrovalley. At least… it doesn't look like it. For all I know, it could be.'

"My lord, he isn't alone," Yae whispered in his ear.

Konami grimaced, sensing the presence of other Gravekeepers behind him.

"I can tell. But they've got another thing coming if they think they can me. After all," he smirked inwardly. "We aren't alone either."

The Gravekeeper's Chief scowled and threw his hand forward to direct his subordinates. "Silence, fiend! Capture this fool and drag him away to the cells!"

The Gravekeepers charged forward, their spears' pointed ends shining as they rushed Konami. But instead of cowering, Konami stood his ground, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Seriously?" he muttered. "You think these losers are enough to stop me?" he balled his fists, tensing as a fierce flame radiated from his chest. "Guess it's time to turn up the heat!"

As the first spear came within inches of him, flames erupted around him, swirling as if they were a living inferno. The air grew heavy with heat, forcing the Gravekeepers to fall back. Gasps and shouts of confusion echoed in the chamber as the fire danced and coiled, but it did not burn Konami—instead, it almost seemed to embrace him.

"W-what is this sorcery?!" one of the Gravekeepers cried, shielding his face from the sudden blaze.

The Gravekeeper's Chief stepped back, his staff trembling in his hands. "No... It cannot be! That fire… In the hands of a mortal?!"

Konami's smirk widened as the flames surged higher, forming a towering column of fire that pierced the chamber's ceiling. Then, with a deafening roar, it burst outward, scattering like leaves in a storm. Tyrant Dragon emerged from the inferno and spread its wings to full length, the force of the act creating a gale that sent the Gravekeepers sprawling back. They cried out in terror as they scattered to the floor, still clutching their weapons tightly. Konami sneered at them, his eyes glowing faintly as he stood beneath his Ka.

"Yeah, that's right," he said. "You thought you jokes were the hunters? Hate to break it to you, but you lot are nothing more than my prey."

Tyrant Dragon lowered its head, fixing its burning gaze on the cowering Gravekeepers. One of them dropped his spear, trembling as the dragon's massive maw drew closer.

"My lord!" Yae's voice echoed in Konami's mind. "This power... It's incredible! But… perhaps you should show some restraint? 'Tis not the time to be reckless!"

"Hmph. You don't have to tell me twice," Konami replied coolly. He raised his hand, and the flames around him seemed to pulse in response. "What happens next depends on them."

The Gravekeeper's Chief regained his footing, slamming his staff into the ground. A magical barrier sprang up around him and his remaining subordinates. "You... You dare summon such a beast in this sacred place? Such sacrilege cannot be ignored!"

"You attacked me first," Konami replied. "But if you want to continue… I'll be happy to show you why it's called a Tyrant!"

The dragon roared again, its fiery breath igniting the air as it launched a torrent of flames toward the barrier. The Gravekeepers screamed, their magical shield cracking under the sheer force of the assault.

"Stop this madness!" the Chief shouted, his voice laced with desperation. "You cannot control such power!"

Konami just chuckled darkly. "Control it? Sorry to disappoint, Chief, but you've got it all wrong. Tyrant Dragon doesn't obey me because I control it. It obeys me because it recognizes my strength."

The barrier shattered, and the Gravekeepers fell to their knees, their weapons clattering to the floor. Tyrant Dragon loomed over them, its fiery aura casting long, menacing shadows across the chamber.

"Now," Konami said, lowering his voice to sound cold and commanding. "Tell me where I can find the Sacred Beast. Or do I need to let my dragon finish the job?"

The Chief hesitated, sweat dripping from his brow as he stared into the dragon's blazing eyes. "I… I refuse! The false idols must not fall into the hands of one as wicked as you! And certainly not to one who reeks of Tragoedia's vile darkness!"

"Tragoedia?" Konami inquired, narrowing his eyes at the name. But before the Chief could say moe, a flash of light erupted from the back of the chamber. A figure draped in radiant white robes appeared in the center of its brightness, wearing what appeared to be an Ancient Egyptian Duel Disk.

"Enough!" the figure said, its masculine voice calm but firm. "Unhand my men, trespasser. You will desecrate this place no further!"

Konami narrowed his eyes, sizing up the newcomer. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

The figure stepped forward, radiating an aura that made even Tyrant Dragon shift uneasily. "I am Abidos the Third. Once Pharaoh. Now God. Descendant of Horus and Priest Seto. You will unhand my men, thief!"

"I refuse. This place has something I'm in need of."

"Hmph. You speak of the Sacred Beast. Better than you have tried to reclaim it." Abidos stamped his staff on the floor, releasing a pulse of energy. It washed over his men, rejuvenating their bodies and restoring their strength. "The Gravekeepers lineage is bound by duty to imprison and watch these Beasts! We shall not falter in our duty, and certainly not to one who would use their deadly power for evil!"

"Oh yeah? And just what are you and these posers gonna do to stop me?" Konami asked, raising an eyebrow. "Talk me to death? Been there. Done that. I've got no intention of listening to you whole descendant-of-Horus act."

Abidos raised his chin, retaining his calm in the face of Konami's brazenness. "Such insolence… I see the darkness has consumed you soul in its entirely. You bear the stench of one who would wield power without purpose, a mockery of the true Gods of this land." He gestured with a flick of his wrist, activating the golden Duel Disk adorned with hieroglyphs. "You desecrate this holy chamber, summon chaos, and threaten my people with harm. For these crimes, I sentence you to judgment. The game of the gods shall decide your fate!"

Konami smirked. "A Duel, huh? Now you're speakin' my language. I'll crush you and whatever other defenses you have lying around, and then, I'll take that Sacred Beast, whether you like it or not!"

"Hmph. Should you best me in battle, you can do whatever you want," sneered Abidos. "But should you fail, you will join the legions of the damned who dared to challenge Horus's divine order."

"Legions of the damned, huh?" Konami chuckled, unfazed by the man's threat. He activated his Duel Disk. "You're the one who'll be damned once I'm through with you!"

A powerful wind swept through the chamber as both duelists' Life Points materialized in the air.

"Now, enough talk. Let's Duel!"

-GX-

'Is this really okay?' a voice whispered inside of her mind.

"Hm?" Wisteria wondered, shifting her gaze as if eyeing someone behind her. She wasn't, of course. The recipient of her hum no longer held a physical body. After all, she had taken it, jailing its original owner deep inside her mind. "Whatever do you mean, lesser? Everything's going exactly as planned. Konami will defeat the Guardians for us, and we'll claim the Sacred Beast."

She turned her head forward, watching Konami assault the Gravekeeper's with a twisted smile. No one could see her from the shadows—a testament to her own gifted talent in dark sorcery.

"Magnificent, isn't he?" she murmured, smirking as he loosed Tyrant Dragon.

'Magnificent? You mean monstrous. This—this isn't what we wanted. You're letting him spiral into chaos! At this rate, he'll destroy everything!'

Wisteria smiled. "Don't be so dramatic. Destruction comes before creation."

'But it's not what we agreed on!' Lesser snapped, the voice growing louder in her mind. 'You said we would help him help us, guide us all to a better path. But this… you're just feeding into his darkness! Making him another Mackenzie!'

Her smirk widened as she tilted her head and twirled a finger in her violtet twintails. "And what's so wrong about that, hm? Master Mackenzie's… delicious. It's what makes him so… intoxicating. Crushing those who stand in his way, seeing the fire in his eyes… Konami is capable of becoming the same. It's what makes him so… intoxicating. Don't you agree?"

'No! I don't!' Lesser's voice was filled with despair. 'You've twisted everything! This wasn't about escaping at all, was it? You… You tricked me! From the very beginning… this has all been about feeding your twisted obsession!'

Wisteria closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as if savoring the lingering scent of power that filled the chamber. "Obsession, you call it. I call it devotion. And if you can't see the beauty in what we're building, then maybe you should just stay quiet. Leave the decisions to the one in control. It's not like you get a say, anyway."

'But I do understand what you're getting us into! And it's not as good as you think! This path you're on—it will only lead to ruin! For him, for us, for everything! You don't understand what you're doing!'

Her eyes snapped open, glowing faintly as she leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Oh, I understand perfectly. I understand that you're weak, clinging to outdated ideals and foolish dreams of redemption. But me? I see the truth. Konami doesn't need saving. He needs someone who can stand beside him, someone who can appreciate his ambition… and touch."

'No,' the voice insisted quietly, as though shrinking from the weight of Wisteria's words. 'He needs someone to pull him back from you before it's too late.'

"Then perhaps you're the one who's blind," Wisteria murmured, her gaze fixed on Konami as he commanded Tyrant Dragon with effortless authority. Her lips curled into a wicked grin. "Look at him. He's perfect. A king who won't bow, a flame that won't extinguish. And soon, the Sacred Beasts will be his."

'Not his,' the voice whispered mournfully. 'Yours.'

"Mine, his… does it really matter? In the end, he will belong to me," she whispered softly. "He's someone to be shaped, molded, and we both know I'm the only one who can do it."

'Shaped? Molded?' her lesser self scoffed at the words. 'You're not shaping him. You're breaking him. Twisting him into something worse than Mackenzie ever was.'

"But isn't that precisely what we need?" Wisteria asked, tilting her head. "Mackenzie's power and Lord Grandfather's reach have kept us caged for too long. Someone has to surpass them, destroy them… and replace them."

'And you think Konami's the answer?' the voice snapped, 'He's not Mackenzie! Or Grandfather! He's a victim—"

"Victim?" Wisteria's laughter cut through the voice like a blade. "Certainly doesn't look like one to me."

Tyrant Dragon's roar cut through the chamber. Wisteria smirked, supporting herself behind the pillar as she watched.

"Control. Dominance. Abs-o-lute authority. That's what Mackenzie and Grandfather have. That's what Konami will embody. With me guiding him, he'll crush Mackenzie and Kagemaru beneath his heel… and then, he'll realize how much he needs someone like me."

'He doesn't need you,' the lesser spat. 'He has Kami, remember? She's his anchor. She keeps him from becoming—'

"Becoming what? Unstoppable?" Wisteria hissed, her eyes glowing brighter as her grip on the mental prison tightened. "Kami is nothing but a leash around his neck, holding him back from true greatness. She's a pretty little illusion, a distraction that will crumble the moment he fulfills his mission."

'You're wrong,' Lesser noted. 'He loves her. And you know it. That's why you're desperately pushing for this. to replace her. You're jealous. She got to him first.'

Wisteria's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before twisting into a sneer. Her fingers dug into the stone wall, cracking it within her grip. "Jealous? Don't flatter her. That wench is just a placeholder. A fragile doll he'll shatter once I show him what he truly desires."

'And you think that's you?' the voice mocked, becoming even more defiant. 'You think he'll choose someone who manipulates him, who whispers poison into his ear, over someone who genuinely cares for him?'

"You make it sound like he'll have a choice," she purred. "Every step he's taken closer to darkness, every moment spent gaining more power, is because of me. Not Kami. Not anyone else. Me. Once Mackenzie and Kagemaru are dealt with, he'll be forced to admit it. And there'll be nothing standing in our way. Not even little Miss Kami."

'Except yourself,' the voice murmured.

'Then it's a good thing I've planned for that, too,' she thought. Not that she could let Lesser know about that. After all, it was meant as a last resort. A contingency if things went wrong. 'Yes…' she thought, settling in as Konami raised his Duel Disk to stare down Abidos.

One way or another, Konami Kodo would be hers.

TAG FORCE ALTERNATIVE: TWISTING THE TALE
LESSON TWELVE
END

Crazy on! Get your Crazy on! Come on ya better get your mind right!
Come on and get your Crazy on!