So sorry for getting this up late. I had trouble with this one. I hope I did good enough, just please don't hate it. After this chapter, we will finish things up with Yuzu's group before coming back with Yugi's group in Death – T3. What's been happening with Duke during Valon's Duel with Chopman? And who was the person that followed his group earlier? Time to reveal those answers.
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 21: Kaiba Arc – Part 11
"It isn't over yet. According to Noah, Chopman is still waiting." Duke reminded everyone present. Suddenly, he got a buzz on his cell phone. He had set it on vibrate so he and the others would not be easily disturbed while watching everyone. The caller I.D. says "Unknown". This made Duke feel suspicious.
"Who's that?" Mokuba asked. Duke shrugged.
"Don't know." He felt he should let it go to voicemail, but he picked up anyway. If it was something related to Noah, he didn't want to hear it in a message. "Hello?" He replied casually. As he listened to the person on the other end of the line, his eyes widened and tensed up instantly. He kept quiet while the caller spoke. Aqua and the gang watched with both curiosity and concern. After a minute, a now pale Duke hung up.
"Duke, what's wrong?" Yusho asked. Duke turned his back to them.
"I… have to go upstairs. There's something I need to do. I promise I'll be back. Keep watching our friends and fill me when I return." He instructed them, an edge in his voice now.
"Where are you going?" Mokuba demanded. He was stunned one of Yugi's friends was about to leave without an explanation at a time like this.
"Stay here. No one leave. I'll be back soon." Duke said, ignoring the little boy's inquiry. He then stepped out of the room and into the hallway. After climbing up the staircase, he came to the door that led into another guest room.
Duke was still shaken by that phone call. Surely the person on the other line couldn't be who he thought it was, could it? Regardless if it was him or not, the threat given to him was clear. That was why he came up here. Scared but determined to protect those under his roof, Duke opened the door.
The bedroom was not quite mostly how he left it when he last entered. A bookcase and desk on the left, a queen sized bed on the right, and a table in the middle with a couple of chairs. Around the table and chairs was a large black circle with runes that gave him an odd chill he didn't like.
Sitting in one of those chairs was a plump man wearing a clown mask, who grinned when he saw the teen. "Duke, my boy. I was hoping you would drop by." Duke didn't return the smile. Even with that creepy mask, the young man could tell it was the same man his mother said had vanished before his life had even begun. And now he came back, apparently with some not so good agenda in mind.
"You didn't exactly give me a choice on the phone." He replied in a not so friendly tone. The man chuckled.
"I may look like a clown, but I don't joke around when I make threats… especially when I make good on them." Duke glared at him.
"Like threatening to destroy this whole building if I didn't show up?" The man snickered.
"Glad you're taking me seriously. I take it no one has followed you?" The stranger asked. Duke shook his head.
"Just you and me, old man." He said.
"Good, good. Now come here and sit down. We have some catching up to do." The man said, offering the other chair. Duke scowled as he closed the door behind him and approached the table. Once he sat down, he eyed the man opposite him with contempt. "Why the face? Aren't you happy to see your dear old father after all this time?" Duke flared his nostrils.
"My father died years ago, Hector. Or maybe I should just call you "Mr. Clown" instead. Goes with your new look. Either way, you're just some mask wearing wacko who threatened to kill some innocent people if I didn't agree to meet you here." Hector Devlin snorted, but still smiled.
"Name calling isn't nice, you know. If you were still a toddler I'd put you in time out." Duke's patience ran out as he slammed his fist on the table.
"Enough bull crap! Tell me what this is all about! Now!" Hector laughed at his son's outburst.
"Such a temper. You're definitely my boy." He then decided that it was time to get down to business as he leaned back in his chair. "But if you insist. I'll start at the beginning." And so he did…
Flashback
Hector Devlin had just arrived in Domino City, his mission clear on his mind. He was a good looking man with short dark hair, wore a business suit, carried a briefcase, and had the confidence of a winner. Hector worked for a private collector that was willing to pay him very well for his services.
Today, he was on another assignment for his employer. His task was to find and acquire a certain object currently in the possession of a Solomon Muto, the man who lived in this city. His sources told him Solomon found a golden box in an Egyptian tomb years ago. The artifact he sought was inside it. Hector never asked his boss why he waited this long to add it to his collection. He just took the task and set out to get it done.
Hector spotted Solomon Muto sweeping the front of his game shop. As soon as he approached, Solomon looked up and smiled. "Good afternoon. Can I help you with something?" He asked, sounding friendly. Hector nodded.
"I certainly hope so. My name is Hector and I'm here to talk business with you."
"What kind of business?" He questioned. "Is there a certain game I can help you find? My shop has a good variety." Hector chuckled.
"I'm not interested in games… at least for now." Hector wanted to get to the main topic at hand, and he did. "Mr. Muto, I wanted to talk to you about an ancient artifact you procured years ago in Egypt." The older man stiffened and narrowed his eyes.
"What about it?" Solomon asked, noticing Hector had a look in his eye he did not like.
"My sources say it was in a box of intricate design and what is inside might be worth quite a bit of money. However, I have no clue what is actually in it. What exactly is it? Do you still have it?" Solomon took on a more serious expression.
"Why are you interested in it?" He questioned. Hector would not be deterred.
"My employer asked me to come to you and learn more about it. Is that too much to ask?" He told him. Solomon gave him a hard look.
"Hector, I can see it in your eyes. You want me to sell it to you for money. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you and your employer, but what you seek is not for sale. I suggest you…" Hector interrupted
"Come now, Mr. Muto. Surely we can come to some sort of agreement? My boss is willing to pay any price for it. Can't we discuss this?" He said, sounding more insistent. Solomon knew greed when he saw it, and it was plain as day on Hector's face. He could not, would not, give what he found to him or his employer.
"Forgive me, but I think you should leave now. I have nothing for you. Sorry for wasting your time." Without warning, Hector grabbed Solomon's arm. His look was undisguised anger and determination.
"Hey, why won't you sell it?! Tell me what I can do to change your mind!" He demanded. Solomon stared back with pity.
"Hector, my answer is no. What I found is not for sale. I did not find it for profit..."
"Then why?!" Hector shouted, not accepting what he was hearing. Solomon shook his head. Hector wouldn't understand why he was against giving up the contents of that box. 'Could it be even more valuable than I imagined? Perhaps it's worth millions!' Hector assumed. Solomon's answer made no sense to him.
"Fate has chosen me to find that artifact, and I firmly believe there is a reason for that. Until I know what that reason is, I will not part with it… for anyone." Hector was so stunned that Solomon was able to wrench his arm free. He looked as though he would attack. Instead, he took on a devilish grin.
"Fate, you say? Well in that case…" He then lifted up the briefcase he was carrying, opened it, and took out one of two old looking cups. "How about we let fate decide… with these?" Solomon eyed the cups wearily.
"What are they?" Hector's grin widened as he emptied one of the cups into his other hand. It as several dice.
"Something I have incase Plan A doesn't work out. You're into games, right old man? This happens to be my personal favorite. But it's no ordinary game, and the cost of losing will be higher than you'd expect. If you win, you get to keep your precious treasure. If I win, you must hand it over willingly without complaint. What do you say? Surely you're not afraid of playing a little game of dice, are you?"
Solomon really did not want to put what he found at risk, not to this greedy man. On the other hand, he was also not one to shy away from a challenge to a game. In the end, he made up his mind.
"Very well. Let's play your game."
Flashback End
"We then played the game. I was confident I would win, but somehow luck wasn't on my side." Hector said with a evil sneer. "I had never failed to defeat anyone before in my game. It should never have occurred! I lost to that old fool and… this is what happened to me!" He then took the mask of his face, revealing how much older he actually appeared. "Losing that game cost me half my life as well as my good looks. I was so humiliated that I ran away. I never returned to my employer, though I'm sure he must've forgotten about me by now. I went into hiding and never came back… until today." Hector ended his tale before putting his mask back on.
Duke was shocked by how Hector had aged unnaturally, but he was more disgusted by his pathetic father's actions. He also noticed his father left out one thing. "Mom told me you mainly left because you cared more about money and your career than her. Was this why you really never came back to mom before she had me? Did you even know about me then?" Duke asked hatefully. Hector snorted.
"I left your mother long before that incident. She never understood my point of view; That money was everything. As for you, I didn't know about you until after I learned she passed away from some illness. Your name was mentioned in her obituary." Hector then tilted his head. "Out of curiosity, just what did Delilah say about me?" Duke gave him nasty look.
"From what Mom told me, not only were you a no-show my whole life but a greedy bastard that never gave a damn about family. Sounds to me like she was right and you got just what you deserved." Hector frowned.
"Don't you talk to me that way. I came back because I wanted revenge. If I recall, it's what you desired too."
"Meaning what?" Duke asked.
"I know you tried to beat Yugi Muto in that Dungeon Dice Monsters game of yours. You hated that boy as much as I hated his grandfather and wanted to punish him." Duke sneered.
"That was different. I thought Yugi was a cheater and ruined my chances of my game becoming official, but he wasn't. He proved it by beating me in my own game on his first time playing it." Hector snorted.
"Circumstances aside, you were no different than I was Duke. We both desired vengeance for our misfortunes and we were willing to do anything to achieve it."
"Wrong again. All I wanted was to humiliate Yugi in a game of my own design. I never planned to actually hurt or curse him." Duke said in his defense.
"If Solomon had simply given me that treasure of his, things wouldn't have escalated to that." Hector retorted before smiling again. "Now, after all these years, I can finally have my revenge…"
Duke asked a more important question. "If Yugi's grandpa is your real target, then why give your "invite" to me?" Hector frowned again.
"When you failed to defeat Yugi, you also failed me. I had hoped you would avenge me in some way, but I was mistaken. I do not tolerate failure, even from my own flesh and blood. I brought you here to punish you for that first."
"I wasn't doing anything for you!" Duke snapped. Hector shrugged.
"Doesn't matter. You're both under the same roof now, allowing me to literally kill two birds with one stone when I'm done."
"How did you even know where to find us?" Duke demanded.
"Simple. I was there when Kaiba showed up in that copter of his. I followed you and your little group back here, where I heard Solomon was hiding out."
Duke felt like an idiot. 'Dammit. I thought for sure no one was tailing us. I led a madman here where he can kill everyone present.' He addressed that very issue. "Then you know Solomon and I aren't the only ones in this building. If you go through with this, the rest will die too!" Hector shrugged.
"Mere collateral damage." Duke was sickened from hearing that. He felt even more so from the fact that the lunatic sitting opposite him was his father. Hector continued. "After you all had settled in, I had gotten to work on my act of vengeance." He then motioned his arms at the circle surrounding them. "What you see is the very set up of the game Solomon and I played for ownership of his treasure, the Millennium Puzzle."
"Which belongs to Yugi now." Duke pointed out.
"I'm aware. I'll deal with him when he comes back. For now, you and his grandfather are my main targets." He then fished out from his coat two cups. He emptied one of the cups to reveal five dice rolling on the table. "In this game, it's all about calling one's bluff. The objective in this game is to be the only player left with dice. The player that loses all their dice loses the game." Duke didn't seem worried.
"Liars Dice, huh?" He asked. Hector smirked.
"Exactly. First, we each roll one of our dice. The one with the highest roll makes the opening bid. Next we shake our cups with the dice in them and place them facedown while keeping the dice hidden from each other. Then, during our respective turns, we take a quick look at our dice and try to out bluff one another. The one who loses the bluff loses one of their dice before proceeding to the next round. We keep this up until one of us ends up losing all our dice. So, any questions before we start?" Duke eyed him suspiciously.
"Not interested in my game, Dungeon Dice Monsters?" He asked. Hector scoffed at him.
"Bah. Seems to complicated to me. I prefer simpler games like this." Sighing, Duke moved on to his next question.
"What are the stakes?" He asked. Hector smiled devilishly.
"Oh, I almost forgot that. We bet… our very lives. The loser, well… I think you can guess." Duke winced from the realization.
"You can't be serious? How can this game even do that?" Hector stared at him, stone faced.
"Very serious, Duke. This version of Liar's Dice happens to be cursed, having acquired it from some "shady" Egyptian shop. The loser suffers whatever penalty has been suggested at the start. That's how bad I want my revenge, and my ultimate prize."
"Is that what happened when you lost against Yugi's grandpa? Losing this game before caused you to become so ugly you had to wear a clown mask?" He questioned. His father snorted.
"It was a penalty… which I won't repeat in this game. Do you accept the stakes?"
Duke hesitated before he gave his reply. "I'm in." He said in a heavy voice before he asked another question. "What does that circle have to do with the game?" Duke asked, not understanding the connection. Hector chuckled.
"Oh, you'll see. I don't want to ruin the surprise." He said cryptically. "Got any more questions?" When Duke shook his head, Hector motioned him to pick up one of his dice while he did the same. "Very well then… game on. Roll!"
They each rolled their respective dice on the table. Hector's dice landed on a 4, while Duke's showed a 5. "Looks like I get to bid first, Mr. Clown." Duke said to his father, who gave a soft chuckle.
"So you want to call me that from now on? Fine, if you want. I honestly don't care." Father and son then picked up their diced filled cups, shook them, and placed them down before them. A thick black cloud flowed out from the circle, enclosing both players within.
Duke had a feeling of déjà vu. This reminded him of those Duels in the Battle City finals that involved similar clouds. He also remembered those "Shadow Duels" had devastating consequences to the ones who lose. He prayed he wouldn't be the one losing this. Once he took a peek at their respective dice, Duke got started. "Two 3s."
Hector, aka Mr. Clown, smiled as he glanced at his own dice. "Four 3s."
Duke looked at his own dice again. He had to pay attention to Hector's facial reaction and make the best bet he could do… as well as bluff his ass off. Still, Duke was confident with what he had. He just wish he knew what was under the other cup. "Five 4s."
"Heh. Liar!" Mr. Clown said, calling his son's bluff. With a smile that showed more confidence than he actually had, Duke lifted up his cup and revealed his dice. His father did the same. To his surprise, Duke's Dice a 1, a 2, a 3, a 4, and a 5. The older man's own Dice had three 4s, a 5, and a 6. Duke smirked.
"If I recall, ones are "wild cards" and can be used as any number. So I decided to make my 1 a 4. Guess I made the right call, eh?" Mr. Clown grumbled to himself as he took one of his dice out of the game. At the same time, a hand came out of the dark mist and it sharply poked close to where his heart was. He let out a noticeable yelp of pain and had momentary difficulty in breathing. 'What the hell?!' Duke thought, shocked. After a moment, his opponent recovered.
"That… was nothing. You'll feel it too before this is over. Next round." With that, both players refilled their cups (with Mr. Clown's one die less) and began again. Since he lost the previous round, Duke's father went first. "Four 4s."
Duke, now a little more scared, tried to keep his mind on the game. He just had to get rid of his father's remaining dice, that's all. 'Except it may not be as simple as I thought…' Whatever he was facing, he couldn't back down now. "I'm not afraid, no matter how twisted this game is. Five 5s!"
Mr. Clown looked at his dice again… and smirked. "Five 6s."
"Okay, you're definitely a liar." Duke declared. His father was still smirking.
"Am I?" Both men lifted up their cups again. The evil clown had three 6's and a 1. Duke's had a 2, a 5, two 1s, and… a 6. Duke was the one surprised now. "Seems like I'm not lying after all, my boy."
Duke knew it was coming. As soon as he removed one of his own dice, another shadowy hand had bursted out and jabbed Duke the same spot his father was strike. He hunched over and heaved for several seconds, eyes widened. 'Holy crap… I felt like I couldn't breathe for a second! And that was just from losing one die! What would happen if I lost the rest?' Duke really did not want to find out. Mr. Clown chuckled at his son's suffering.
"What's the matter? Getting harder to breathe?" Duke stared back at him, angry and determined.
"Shut up. Let's keep playing." He replied in a rough voice. His father obliged as they got the third round started.
The game got more and more difficult as it went on. It wasn't just that the number of dice kept decreasing with each round. With every die lost, both players took longer and longer to recover from the "attacks" they both endured from the circle around them. Duke thought he might actually die before the game was over, whether he was winning or not. He could've tried to evacuate everyone before he came up here, but his father warned him not too. The trap he installed would kill them all before they could vacate the building. So, for the sake of everyone still inside, he kept playing.
Unfortunately, Duke lost the next round too and earned another strike on his body along with losing another of his dice. He was beginning to lose focus. His body was starting to tremble with cold. His father could tell his son was not looking so good. "My my, Duke. I don't think you'll be able to last much longer in your condition. Do yourself a favor and forfeit. It'll be much easier for you."
Duke gritted his teeth as he forced himself to stay in the game. "Not a chance, old man! I still have dice left, so I'm not giving up! Solomon Muto beat you at this, and so will I!" Mr. Clown scoffed while he and Duke set their cups down once more. This time, Duke took the round and his father lost a die and took a blow right below his heart. Now they each had 3 dice left.
"Damn brat. Don't think you'll get the better of me. It will only get harder at this point!" He was right after they started the next round. Duke lost the next one and suffered the consequences. He was down to just two dice now. However, Duke paid his father back in the following round (which he was not too pleased about).
At this point, Duke was beginning to realize something about how his father was playing. 'I've noticed it in every round since this game started. Each time he lifts up his cup, he always had one die that landed on 6. Every single time, no matter how many he lost, he still got at least one 6. If I'm right, maybe I can use that to my advantage…'
That advantage hadn't come yet as he lost yet another die. Now he was down to just one, meaning if he lost the next round… it would truly be game over for him. Mr. Clown took notice of his son's condition.
"Last chance to surrender and not suffer anymore. I think we both know at this point, you can't hope to win." He gloated. Duke slammed his fist on the table, struggling to stay awake and focus.
"That we can… disagree on. Next round!" Duke declared as he shook up his dice again. His father did the same and set them down once more. Duke knew he can't go higher than three dice total at this point. If he could just win two more rounds, he would win the game. Still, that was a pretty "big" if. After taking a deep breath and letting it out, Duke made his next bid. "Three… 6s." He said in a now hoarse voice.
Mr. Clown sighed. "I suppose that's the highest you can bid, but it doesn't mean you nailed it… liar." With that, both cups were raised. Mr. Clown did a double take. "What?! He actually…?!" His own cup had two 6s, while Duke had a 1. Duke smirked at him, his suspicions having been confirmed.
"6 must be my lucky number, since I'm using my 1 as a 6." His father took yet another close strike in his chest as he took away his fourth die. Now it was down to the wire with both players having only one die left. Mr. Clown snarled.
"I'm surprised you lasted this long. But this will definitely be your last." He taunted.
"Yours too, old man." Duke replied. They both declared "Final Round!" as they brought down their shaken cups containing their last die each.
Mr. Clown still thought he had a chance. 'There is no way I'm losing this game again, especially against my own failure of a son! No chance in Hell!' He was bound and determined to win. With his unshakable confidence, he stared the final round. "You won't beat this one! Two 5s!"
Duke smiled back at him after he peaked under his own cup. "Make that… Two 6s!" Mr. Clown paused for a second… before he stared laughing insanely. "You really are desperate, aren't you? I'm not buying it! Liar!" The moment the cups were lifted for the last time, all color had drained from the old man's face. "What?! It can't be! NO!"
There, laying on the table, were two dice that both landed on 6. Duke gave a triumphant grin.
"As I thought. One of your dice was loaded so it would always land on a 6. Once I realized that, I decided to use that underhanded tactic against you… particularly in the last round."
The shadows then shifted as the black circle gave off an ominous glow. The mists retreated and began to encase his father. Mr. Clown's whole body was shaking, his hands grasping his hair. The horrible realization was dawning on him. He had lost more than just the game. In a matter of seconds, he was about to lose his life as penalty. "I do not believe it! First that old geezer, now my own son?! They've both defeated me?! No! Vengeance was supposed to be mine!" He shouted, not believing this was happening.
Duke sighed and shook his head. "Not now, not ever. It's over." He said firmly.
Mr. Clown was about to give in to his despair. But then he remembered. He still had one last trick up his sleeve. One last move to pull that would give him the revenge he desired. Just as a bunch of ghostly hands sprouted up and began to grab him, Duke's father pulled something small out of his pocket. Duke gasped in horror. It looked like a detonator.
"If I'm going to die… then I'm taking everyone in the this building with me! That includes you Duke!" He then raised it up with his thumb over the button.
"Stop! Don't do it!" Duke shouted, but it was pointless. His cruel, vengeful father pressed the button with a look of satisfaction. The teen then felt the building start to shake. Mr. Clown then laughed like he had nothing left to lose.
"Hahaha! Revenge is mine at long last! No one will get alive… NO ONE!" He continued to laugh until one of the shadowy hands actually went into his chest… and the old man suddenly stopped breathing. Duke saw his eyes widened before he went limp and fell over on the table. The teen next saw his father's body starting to rot away. The sight disgusted and terrified him. He wanted to turn away, but he couldn't.
"Oh my… guess the horror stuff isn't over just yet." The startled Duke turned behind him to see Pegasus and Mokuba standing just outside the door. Both were reacted the same way he did upon what was happening to before them.
"What the hell are you two doing here?!" Duke shouted at them.
"The building started to shake and you hadn't come back! We had to find you!" Mokuba replied.
"Yes, and it seems we stumbled into a most unpleasant sight." Pegasus added, referring to the emancipation of Duke's father. "May I ask what's going on?" Duke then shot up out of his chair.
"Later! We need to leave!" Just as he said this, he heard a sickening crunching noise behind him. Duke looked back just in time to see the rotted corpse of his father being dragged away into the shadows. That was it. Hector Devlin, the man that left his family for money and never looked back… was dead and gone. 'Goodbye old man… and good riddance.' Duke then felt the shaking around him intensify. "Run! NOW!" With that, he dashed out of the room with Pegasus and Mokuba right at his heels.
"What's happening?!" Mokuba shouted as they reached the ground floor.
"No time to explain! You and Pegasus escape now! I'll get the others and meet you outside!" Duke told the pair before making his way toward Solomon's room. When he came bursting in seconds later, he found Solomon, Yusho, and Aqua right where he left them. They were on their feet when he saw them.
"Duke!" Yusho said upon seeing him.
"Are you alright?" Solomon asked.
"What is the situation?" Aqua asked urgently.
"The building is going to fall any second! We gotta move! Hurry!" At once, Yusho picked up his Duel Disk which held Aqua and ran out with Duke and Solomon right with them. Just a split second after Duke's group bolted through the front door, the entire building came crashing down. They were all at a safe distance when the destruction occurred.
Duke, Mokuba, Yusho, Solomon, Pegasus, and Aqua just stared at their place of refuge and Duke's home. There was nothing left of it standing. It had been reduced to an enormous pile of wood and broken glass.
"My gosh. I can't believe it. There's nothing left." Mokuba looked up at Duke. "What happened?" He asked again. Duke lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"The whole place was rigged to collapse on itself at the press of a button. And that's just what happened." Duke replied solemnly.
"But… this was not just your game shop. It was your home." Solomon said sympathetically.
"I know." Duke said.
"I'm so sorry Duke." Aqua told him. He merely nodded.
"Who did this? And why?" Yusho demanded. Duke kept his head lowered.
"It was the work of a madman. And he tried to take all of us down with him. But in the end… he failed."
"What now?" Mokuba asked him. Duke turned back to him as he got out his cellphone.
"After I call 911 about the mess we just got away from, we head back to Solomon's game shop. Once there, we can check back in with our friends at Noah's tower."
Little did he know that at that time, Noah and Vivian were planning to make things even harder for everyone there… as well as more dangerous.
To be continued.