"Hey Ed?" Joey said as we continued to walk on, moving away from the dome that had been my prison (or rather the shards of the dome that I had shattered) and moving in a direction none of us had gone in before. We were currently in a grassy meadow, a forest off to our right and a city in the distance to our left. Selene had been to the mountains, Joey and Koyo in the city, and we were walking away from the recreation of Duelist Kingdom which Pegasus and Serenity had covered. That left only the rolling hills and meadows to explore and, hopefully, the location of the rest of our friends. "I got ta ask ya… how'd ya manage ta do all that? Summon all them freaky guys and gals ta come and help ya?"

I smiled slightly as I stepped over a tree branch. I had given up trying to get out of Selene the identity of our kids; or, rather, who they had been reincarnated into. Obviously people we knew but how close to us were they? Tea and Tristan maybe? Renard and Yuri? Those were some I suspected, based on Selene's comments, but that didn't mean that's who they actually were. And it was entirely possible that they were only people I had barely met.

'If one of them is Bad Bruno…' I thought in annoyance before pushing those emotions away; they'd do me no good here and I wanted to be focused on Joey's question. It honestly was a good one. "I've come to realize a few things, Joey. Taken a few… trips… that have helped me see things about myself."

"Eh? What do ya mean by that?" Joey scratched his head. "Man, I don't get ya and some of da other people we meet. Always talkin' in vague tones, always hinting at things… just spit it out, man!"

"I must admit," Pegasus stated as he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt, "that while I am all for subtly this is very much a case of me being curious as to the honest answer. From what the others have told me you were able to do some impressive things. Summon an army of fictional characters?"

"I'm more interested in your wings!" Serenity said as she cuddled the robotic puppy. I had been worried that it might have been Tristan in there but when I had subtly asked the dog if it recognized me, to let me know by giving a signal, it hadn't shown any signs of recognition and I figured it must have been Noah creating a digital spy. So, we had to be careful with giving out battle plans but I was willing to let the little robobeast tag along as it was likely keeping Noah from doing anything rash. "Joey said they were golden and burning!" She was just so utterly excited about the whole thing… it was utterly cute.

"Alright then. As much as you guys might forget it because you aren't awakened yet to the realities of this world I am not from this dimension. I'm from another Earth. And I am different from all the rest of you… even Selene here." I gestured at the goddess who suddenly blinked… and then grinned.

"Morningstar."

"Morning whatsit?" Joey said, confused.

"Morningstar. As in Lucifer Morningstar."

"Like… the Devil?" Koyo asked.

"Ed, you ain't claimin' ya're-"

"No… fuck no Joey," I said, seeing at once how he could have come to that conclusion.

Joey let out a sigh of relief. "Good… good. I was getting worried about ya for a second there, pal!"

"Lucifer is in LA running a Piano Bar and preparing for the birth of his child."

That caused all four of them to turn and stare at me.

"There are many ways this current life of ours is inferior to what we once had," Selene commented, "but I must admit that Filler Arc Bullshit is utterly delightful."

"I'm sorry but… what?" Koyo said.

"I echo Koyo there. Edwin, you aren't suggesting that the Devil is on Earth… and about to produce the Antichrist."

I let out an amused huff. "Alright… so there is FAB. Filler Arc Bullshit. It basically means that while we are doing things like walking along in this meadow I suddenly find myself in entirely new situations. Its how we keep having Halloween and Christmas despite only a few months going by."

Serenity suddenly frowned. "Wait… is that because of you?"

I looked at her in surprise before suddenly grinning. "Hey! You are Aware! Welcome to the club! Its currently me, Mai, Yuri, Renard, Tea, and Regular Bakura."

"What ya talkin' 'bout, Serenity?" Joey said.

"I'm talking about how I am not even a supporting character in this! I'm just… your sister!" I got at once what she was saying but Joey, Koyo, and Pegasus were clearly confused.

"I'm sorry but what does any of this have to do with you being able to drive off Noah?" Koyo asked.

"I'm getting to that. Just taking some time explaining so you guys have your minds in the right place." They all nodded (save for Selene but she knew almost all of this already) and I continued on. "So… just before you guys came and saw the dome shatter Mai and I awoke to find ourselves on a plane with Seto and Mokuba heading towards Los Angles to deal with a KaibaCorp thing… launch of the new Duel Disc Factory in California."

"I… remember discussing that with Kaiba-Boy," Pegasus murmured and I wondered for a moment if he was going to become Aware… only to suddenly shake his head. The same barrier that blocked most of my friends from realizing what was going on had slammed into place once more. "I lost it, terribly sorry. Continue on, Edwin."

"Right… so while there we got sucked into some FAB: Filler Arc Bullshit. Its why Christmas and Halloween are always so weird for us. Anyway, this time I met Lucifer Morningstar, who from my original world was in a show where he solved crimes in LA. He's not evil, being the Devil is just a job for him, doesn't steal souls, his daughter isn't the Antichrist. The point is that he informed me of a few things I wasn't aware of." I glanced at Selene. "I don't know if you were aware…"

"I was not," Selene admitted and I knew that had to be PAINFUL for her to say. "Endymion certainly wasn't a Chaos, let alone the Chaos Lord."

"The… Chaos Lord?" Koyo asked.

I nodded. "According to Lucifer, as well as his brother Amenadiel, my last name isn't just the anime bullshit logic that names need to have grand meaning, like Yugi's name forming into part of the Japanese words for King Of Games. Chaos… it is a name for what I am. My… well, not species but designation.

"I am a Chaos. The embodiment of the Primordial Chaos that existed at the beginning of creation, distilled into a human form. Chaoses get sent to other worlds and we naturally work to alter things. I have a bit more… oompf… than other Chaoses and thus I've claimed the title of the Chaos Lord. The wings I got form my mom… they are a representation of that. Makes me something more."

"Along with a few other things," Selene commented and when I glanced at her she smirked. "You began to develop once more the runic tattoos you had when you were going by the name Loki, though they hadn't glowed nearly as brightly as they did recently. That was near godly levels." She focused… and then sighed. "I will show you when we are out of this world."

I decided not to bring up the fact that much like myself it was very likely Selene could access her godly powers here, she just wasn't able to because subconsciously she didn't believe she could. 'Probably for the best she doesn't,' I reasoned before continuing on. "The point is that when I died and was brought back I think that's what caused me to get the extra push to become the Chaos Lord. It also purified the Millennium Key… the souls of the Thieves of Kul Elna were finally free from the Millennium Key and Zorc's connection to it fully shattered and destroyed.

"But the Key needs to draw from… something… in order to do what it does. So its drawing from another power source: Me. My soul. My powers. The Chaos within me. And that means that the two of us are fully connected. It can still assist the Pharaoh, when that day comes, but it will be my power helping him, not anything else."

I could see at once that Pegasus understood. "And because the Key is a part of you…"

"I can access its powers in this world. After all, Noah has me hooked up to the Virtual World pod and the Key is hooked up to me. Real easy. As such I am taking control of the Virtual World-" I suddenly paused as I felt myself being drawn away… and locked down my location with a thought. Did the same for the others as well. "Noah is trying to get cute, sorry about that."

"What… what happened?" Joey said, looking about. He had clearly sensed something but he didn't know what it was.

"Oh, just Noah trying to be a bitch but again I took care of it." Mentally though I added, 'But I need to be careful when it comes to Noah… he has been in control of the Virtual World for far longer and he is a boy genius. If he is able to get real cunning there are ways he could fuck around with all of us. Move things around, alter reality… I have to not say a word so I don't give him any ideas. Still… the more he's focused on me the less he's focused on my friends and that is what truly matters. I need his gaze firmly on me that way the rest of our friends can deal with the final member of the Big 5 and we can get the fuck out of here!'

And that made me smirk.

"Come and get me Noah," I whispered.

~MC~MC~MC~

Phillip Johnson frowned as he quietly turned to the screen that showed Tea Gardner and Martin's duel. "She shouldn't be doing this well."

He knew that the other members of the Big 5 had gone to actually watch the duels in person (or, at least, what one could claim was 'in person' when everything was just a simulation being beamed into their brains), delighting in being able to rub it in the youths' faces that they were about to be defeated. And Phillip had seen how that had worked out for them: embarrassed, mocked, and humiliated. So no… Johnson had decided to retreat to the office that he had claimed as his own, so he could watch both duels at the same time and see just who won.

The office had been modeled after the one he had held at KaibaCorp, before everything had been ruined by Seto's little temper tantrum. Nothing overly gaudy or fancy… just an office where he could work. Perhaps the desk was a bit higher end than most would have expected but that was about it… everything else was basic.

'Well, the chair is top of the line but that is so I can handle a larger work load,' he thought, shifting in the padded leather chair. 'And here I don't have the small fridge I kept under my desk, which allowed me to eat in here rather than wasting time wandering off to get something to keep me going. And yes, the view was wonderful but… it was basic. Simple. Nothing at all like Leichter or Gangsley's offices.'

On his desk sat two computers, each one showcasing a duel. He had separated the two teens and fed them both stories, hoping to keep them flustered about what was happening and not realizing they were being lied too. Unfortunately Tea Garnder and Tristan Taylor had proven too loyal for such a plan to work and both had moved on from believing their friend had betrayed them to focusing on the duel.

And that's where the problems truly began. Because Tea Garnder wasn't acting as he had expected.

'She should be a nervous wreck right now,' he thought darkly to himself. 'Trembling and pleading for mercy. I looked into her deeply, used computer algorithms to determine just how she would behave. She is no duelist so this should have been stressful for her.'

He hadn't seen her dueling so well. And he certainly hadn't seen her declaring that she was "Tea Chaos".

"I don't understand it," he muttered to himself. "How has she so radically changed from what I expected? What could have happened here to have her dueling like this?" Johnson didn't like it that Tea wasn't behaving as he felt she should, as it spoke to the kind of free-wielding free-will that could cause him so many problems. "I need her defeated and her body claimed, along with Tristan Taylor's. Then I will not only have a way out of the Virtual World but also a second body I can barter with in order to gain more power over the rest of the Big 5."

He watched as Tea drew her next card. "You've done good, Martin. You've done good. But the duel is going to end here and I'm going to be leaving you behind."

"That's some big talk… but everyone knows its one thing to brag and boast about how you are going to take on the monster wave and its another to actually managed to do it, buddy. Ya need to be out there on the board, catching the waves and-"

Johnson tuned Martin out. He had thought it humorous to take the man that had replaced him at KaibaCorp and turn his digital avatar into a muddle-headed surfer. He remembered well the likes of them always trying to get him to calm down and settle down and relax. They were lazy useless nothings and he had enjoyed forcing Martin to become one.

But… it also meant he had to listen to him yammer.

"Well then, lets see how you handle this wave." With that she revealed the card she had drawn, the Angel of Life- Neptune. The card depicted a man… or rather a beautiful male angel, his dark blue wings contrasting dramatically with his pale blue skin. "I will discard this card which allows me to bring back to my field Masterflare Hyperion!"

Johnson frowned as he saw the large Lord of the Agents appear on the field and at once he knew he needed to do something about it. 'That card that Martin set won't be able to handle that… so I will need to deal with it myself.'

Fingers typing away Johnson set to work altering the card, using one of several preprogrammed fake cards to go over the one that Martin had actually set. Honestly it was a touch disappointing how lacking Noah's firewall system was. Johnson, if he were in charge, would never let something get so deep into the system as he had. It was just more proof that Noah Kaiba was, despite all the time he'd spent in the Virtual World, still a child that didn't understand how to do things properly.

He sent a small ping to Martin and he smirked as his puppet flipped up his trap. "I activate then Betrayal of the Noble Knights. This card allows me to wipe out cards on your field equal to the number of equips I have currently attached to my monster. As such, I will now be able to destroy all your monsters!"

Tea though quickly threw up her hand "I use my Ring of Grace to save my Masterflare Hyperion!"

"But," Johnson murmured to himself, "you can't attack now, meaning that all you've done is set yourself up with a wall to try and protect yourself from my puppet's King. How unfortunate." He reached up and adjusted his glasses even as Tea used the Lord of Harvest's special ability to increase her lifepoints. (Tea-3000)

That Deck Master ability was proving to be a problem but, unfortunately, Johnson wasn't for sure how to deal with it. That was the trick when it came to breaking the rules: you had to be smart in how you did it. Too many people tried to press too hard and too quick and it led to disasters.

'A rash, foolish man would reveal at once they were altering the game, most likely so they could brag about it and boast, stroking their ego. But I know better than to do that… when someone knows that a game is being played they are more likely to begin playing the game themselves. They will seek out ways to work against your plan, ways you might never have expected. That is the danger that so few ever truly think of when they are coming up with their bold plans: how people won't respond the way you expect.'

Case in point… Tea Gardner in that moment.

'Her entire strategy has been completely derailed. Everything my research has shown about her says that she should be having a full blown panic attack at the moment. And yet she is calm… collected…'

He had selected Tristan Taylor and Tea Gardner because they were the weakest links. The non-duelists who were just on the fringe of everything. And then there was the fact that their profiles showed them susceptible to his manipulations. Tristan was the son of a forceful man who basically controlled every aspect of his life until very recently, which meant that Johnson could poke and prod him into going the direction he wanted him to go by playing up all that. Tea Gardner was a pampered princess from all accounts and from all he had gathered was quite prone to becoming kidnapped. Perhaps one could argue that was because she was around Yugi Muto or that she was the daughter of the (now former) commissioner but Johnson had believed it was more likely because she was prone to walking about the world without thought.

That… was proving to be incorrect.

'Still… even if she is behaving far more composed than I expected that doesn't change the fact that she is about to face defeat. Martin has shown himself to be the superior duelist… and with being able to control this duel through the creation of my original cards there is nothing she can throw at me that I can't handle. This is where she falls… all she has done is delay what must come.'

~MC~MC~MC~

Tea frowned as Martin drew his next card. 'If Yugi was here he and the Pharaoh would be saying that something isn't quite right. That while there might be the Heart of Cards even that doesn't explain just how well Martin is doing here. How he is handling things here… that isn't merely good luck or skill.'

But before she could consider just what that might mean Martin help up a card. "Alright, time to get my Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus even more blinged out. Because while its important to go with the flow and not get bogged down by all the things in the world that might distract you and keep you from realizing what truly matters… it's just as important to gather memories of what you've done so you never forget. That's why-"

"JUST ATTACH THE FUCKING SWORD!" Tea roared.

Martin blinked at that, surprised by her outburst. And yes, only a few weeks ago Tea herself would have been startled by her yelling and her cursing. That simply wasn't her.

'But I'm not that Tea anymore. I'm different… and I can't go back to the Tea I was. All my friends and family… they've helped me change who I am. Yugi has got me to be more willing to be friends with people I might have originally turned my nose up against. Joey has gotten me to not worry so much about my image. Mai helped me understand the reverse, that its okay to be a woman and I didn't need to be like the boys if I wanted to be among the boys. Edwin taught me that sometimes we have to be a bit more underhanded and sneaky to get ahead in life. All my friends… they've helped me become someone different and I'm not going to be embarrassed by who I am anymore!'

"Alright then," Martin said, pulling her from her thoughts. "If you want to see what gear I got then I can show you. No need to get mad. I'll equip to my Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus Noble Arms – Gallatin."

The sword every knight first got… that was Gallatin. But that didn't mean it was weak. In fact Gallatin drew upon the desires for justice every knight had and made itself stronger with them.

"This sword increases Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' attack all the way up to 4000…which makes me think that you just paddled out thinking that you were about to have a nice relaxing day of catching waves only to find yourself trying to handle white caps that are 30 feet tall!"

But Tea merely smirked. "And I think you rushed out into the surf because you saw a big wave… not noticing the fins in the water. Because while you were able to block Masterflare Hyperion from using his effect last turn by forcing me to use Ring of Grace my monster is now free of its effect, allowing me to use his ability! So now I will banish Jupiter from my graveyard in order to banish that sword, brining your monster's attack back down to 200 points less than Masterflare Hyperion… and its took late for you to call him back!"

"I can still use Caliburn to increase my lifepoints by 500," Martin pointed out. (Martin- 1300)

"Go ahead… you are still done. I've taken out your deck master… that means this duel is OVER!"

But Martin merely smirked at her, not at all concerned.

"Sorry buuuuuudy, but its not. I use my Deck Master's final ability, A Queen's Betrayal."

Tea watched as the Sacred Knight was roasted by her Masterflare Hyperion, his armor cooking him and leaving him stumbling and in pain. He turned back, reaching out for his queen… but she turned her head and held her hand out to another who stepped out from the shadows. The Sacred Knight let out a gasp that turned into a weak moan before he finally collapsed, unable to continue on before he fell and shattered… but the duel continued on as the shards flew towards the figure bathed in shadows and darkness.

"With this I am able to summon from my extra deck Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn and turn him into my Deck Master."

With those words the shadowy figure formed into a fully realized monster. The knight, with his ebony hair, midnight colored armor glowing red as if every drop of innocent blood he'd shed haunted him, and his hate-filled smile, appeared on the field, thrusting out his hands and the swords of the Sacred King appeared within his grasp… and the Queen moved to hold him close, a tear rolling down her cheek even as she held him tight. She knew what she had done was wrong but she couldn't help herself.

"And with him now as my Deck Master I gain new Deck Master effects… and I start by adding another Noble Arms from my deck to my Ignoble Knight. And I select the perfect one, bruh: Noble Arms of Destiny." The sword, silver and looking to have been woven rather than forged, was joined by a silver shield so shiny that all light reflected off of it and bounced back to its source. "And now I will attack your Masterflare Hyperion."

"Your Ignoble Knight is still too weak to defeat my Masterflare Hyperion!" Tea declared… only for the Queen to suddenly leap forward, grabbing onto Masterflare's arm and stopping him from attacking back as the Ignoble Knight rushed forward. Without a second thought the usurper plunged his blade through both Masterflare and the Queen, causing them both to shatter even as he dropped his head in grief.

"But the Queen can be sacrificed to destroy your monster even if my monster's attack points aren't high enough," Martin said. "Which once again leaves you with nothing…"

Tea though merely drew, looking down at the card… before closing her eyes.

~MC~MC~MC~

"So, you're a god, right?" Rex said.

"I am," Brom confirmed. "Though I don't let that define me. I am now a psychologist first and foremost."

They had separated from the Pharaoh, Renard, and Yuri to try and find the way out of the labyrinth that was base; it had been agreed not to go down any stairs or go into any doorways where they couldn't easily get out of but merely see if they could find an exit. Troy was handling things for them, the Pharaoh having been given Edwin's phone and connecting with Rex's to keep try of them all. So far though Brom had found nothing but endless hallways.

"Right but… you're still a god. Its like a fish… a fish could be an award winning poet but it would still be a fish. Still be able to swim and breathe underwater, right?"

"Yes, of course," Brom said, not quite sure where Rex was going with this. A glance at Ishizu showed that she had no idea either.

"So why can't you just… teleport us out of here? Or create a portal to some graveyard? I mean, it would still be a graveyard but better than being here, you know?"

That made Brom chuckle. "A common misconception brought on by fiction. You know, I found the show Hercules to be rather amusing. I can't watch it anymore, not after the actor… well, never mind. But the way they portrayed the gods just suddenly appearing and disappearing was… wrong. Yes, there are some gods that CAN do that but there are limits to it. Ares, for one, could appear suddenly when swords were clashing against one another or when blood was split but he couldn't just snap his fingers and disappear. There were many times where the War God was forced to hitch a ride back to Olympus because he couldn't find any battles close to the mountain. The Norse… well, there is a reason why there are so many mounts and ships spoken of in their myths. I could go on and on."

"So you can't… teleport to someone that is dying?"

"Well, yes. Yes I could."

Ishizu though was the one that spoke up. "But if we are not dead we can't go with him."

"Exactly," he stated with a smile.

Rex sighed. "It was worth a shot."

They turned a corner only for all of them, even Brom, to yelp; he wasn't ashamed to admit he had been startled to run into someone.

"Brom!" Yuri declared. "Rex! You scared the hell out of me!" She shook her head. "So its just a big circle. Wonderful… just wonderful. Nice to know that we wasted all that time!"

Then she noticed Ishizu and any excitement she might have felt over finding them died.

"Oh… its you," she said simply. "I had hoped while we were gone that Noah had put you on a flashdrive… one we could just flush."

"I shouldn't be surprised that you stoop to such vulgarity…"

Brom though held up his hand. "Enough, please. Remember the truce."

"The truce?" the Pharaoh asked and at once Ishizu perked up.

"My pharaoh!" she declared in clear relief. "I had been worried that Noah had finally taken you! It is good to see that you are well." She shook her head. "It is still a grave insult that he did not even attempt to capture you. Did he make any moves against your person while we were separated?"

"No," the Pharaoh stated. "It seems that he has been avoiding taking those that he sees as threats."

"That actually makes sense," Brom muttered to himself. "You are the King of Games. Renard is a famed Eastern European Champion. Rex nearly was Intercontinental Champion."

"Those that he couldn't help but take, because they were needed to appease the Big 5, were dealt with in other ways," the Pharaoh stated. "Noah attempted to lock Edwin away in a dome-" At once Renard and Yuri grew tense but the Pharaoh urged them to remain claim. "It is fine… Edwin was able to escape, we dealt with some issues on another world, and then he returned."

"He returned?" Yuri complained. "Of course he did. Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

"I thought I had," the Pharaoh said.

Yuri groaned. "You probably did and I just forgot! I swear this place is playing tricks on my mind!"

"Which should be easy, considering-" Ishizu began only for everyone to turn and glower at her, including Brom. The Death God was the main reason why she wisely decided to halt her comments.

"He believes that he can fight against Noah, wielding the power of the Millennium Key. We must trust in him."

Brom nodded. "Then we need to focus on doing all we can to stop Noah from out here while Edwin works to protect our friends."

"There's another issue as well," Renard stated. "We found a room… it was full of Duel Monster cards. Unreleased ones. We are trying to figure out how Gozaburo Kaiba came to have them. And why."

"Oh, that is simple," Ishizu stated. "This is all part of his plan to fight against the natural order of things and achieve immortality." Brom stared at her and Ishizu smiled sharply. "Come now… none of you ever thought about it?"

"What are you getting at?" Rex demanded.

Ishizu let out a sigh. "I shouldn't be surprised that you have no idea about the truth of Duel Monsters. You all treat it as a simple game, even now that you have seen so much about it… of what is possible with it." She turned her attention on the Pharaoh and frowned when she saw his confusion and she let out a disappointed sigh. "I had hoped you would at least have remembrance but I suppose the magics you wielded in the past cost you all of your memories."

"Ishizu… what exactly are you talking about?" the Pharaoh pressed.

"Duel Monsters… they are not merely cards. You should know this. You have felt the connections… the bonds… that duelists form with the cards that they put in their decks. You have seen the power of the God Cards and know that they are the representatives of the Egyptian Gods, holding a fraction of their great power."

"You mean… they are alive?" the Pharaoh asked, startled.

"Yes. And more than that… they are eternal. So long as one holds belief in them they are able to give them the power to remain. Ageless."

At once Brom understood… and was concerned. "Gozaburo…"

"Yes. His Virtual World was his first ill attempt to achieve his goal but the collecting of these cards… he spent many years researching the ancient ways."

And then she smirked.

"Tell me… who do you think told Maximillion Pegasus that the answer to returning his wife to the world of the living was Egypt?"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Giving up, bruh?" Martin asked. "No shame in that. Sometimes you have to admit that the sea is too gnarly for ya."

"No," Tea said. "I'm just… reflecting."

"Reflecting?"

"Yeah," Tea said. "This duel… you have pushed me harder than anyone else. No duel I've had since this one has been harder. Even against Yugi. Because the stakes have never been higher. Time and time and time again you've backed me into a corner and forced me to pull out every trick and strategy I could think of in order to get back into the fight. When I thought I might have managed to finally get in a place where I had you on the backfoot you were right there, ready to prove me wrong and come at me with all you had.

"But the thing is, Martin… no matter what you did… I never lost hope. I never got down on myself. I worried. I fretted. But I never lost hope. In myself or my deck. And that has led me to this moment." She held up a card. "I start by special summoning from my hand a second copy of Agent of Entropy – Uranus to the field!" The dark winged angel appeared, dark staff held at the ready. "And then I'll use his effect to send my Agent of Creation – Venus to the graveyard in order to make it Level 3. And then, with the final Mystical Shine Ball on my side of the field, I Syncro Summon The Executioner of the Underworld-Pluto!"

The dark fairy appeared on the field, a soft lonely smile on their face. For this was the Agent who could not reveal they were an Agent. No… for the good of all they had to pretend they were outside of the group, even as they worked to aide them.

"Martin… and Johnson because I KNOW you are watching in… this card reflects my siblings. My sister Yuri, who is seen as a traitor by whose are supposed to be the protectors of Justice when in reality she is the most noble of them all. And my brother Edwin, the Lonely Dark Angel who does what others can not even if it means risking his soul. But in the end both of them continue on, doing what is right. And now… its my turn!"

With that Tea jabbed her finger at the Ignoble Knight.

"I use the Executioner of the Underworld -Pluto's special ability, banishing one Agent from my graveyard in order to shift your Ignoble Knight to facedown defense mode!" Tea declared. "And because he is face down you can't have ANY of your swords equipped to him, or use any of his effects! Meaning there is nothing that you can do to stop me from destroying him! Pluto… attack!"

Tea's monster rushed forward…

…and halted.

In fact everything halted.

Martin. The monsters. Everything. Only Tea could move.

"What the hell?" Tea whispered, slowly walking around her monster. She poked Pluto and he… just stood there. Doing nothing. She then walked over to Martin and pushed him but it was like striking a brick wall. "What the hell?"

Frozen. Everything was frozen.

"…Johnson," Tea said, narrowing her eyes before throwing back her head. "JOHNSON!"

~MC~MC~MC~

OMAKE

Within the space between universes there sat the being that watched over all. That stared at the beginning and the end. Who had been there where the universe had winked into existence and would be there when it all came to an end.

"I AM ENTROPY! I OBSERVE ALL OF THE MULTIVERSE! PITTING GOOD AGAINST EVIL TO DETERMINE WHICH IS STRONGER!" He declared this to… no one… but that didn't matter to him. The ways of Entropy couldn't be judged. "I HAVE SET UPON THE HEORIC AND GOOD CHAOSES OF THE MULTIVERSE A CHALLENGE, TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT HAS LOST ITS HEROES. AS THEY PREPARE FOR THEIR BATTLE THOUGH I SET ABOUT SEEKING THOSE THAT WILL NEXT COMPETE, DETERMINING WHICH ONES REPRESENT THE BEST OF THEIR KIND. THUS I SHALL NOW OBSERVE THE FACETS OF ONE PART OF THE CHAOSVERSE-"

Entropy didn't get to finish as, at that moment, Edwin and Avo did what should have been impossible. The two attempted to call forth another Chaos to aid them in the Chaos Wars' first act. They were attempting, with just the Millennium Key and Avo's unrefined magic, to breach the multiverse and bring forth another of their kind to the planet they currently strove to protect.

And yes… it was successful… but such things did not happen in a vacuum. Every action in the multiverse caused a ripple effect that would lead to further alterations in the timelines of trillions of other worlds. This was common… the multiverse theory was BUILT on this. But… in the case of Edwin and Avo, their actions caused a release of energy that raced across the multiverse. Chaoses that were meant for one world ended up in another. Two Chaoses ended up in the same world, forced on a collision course. Chaoses that had lived and thrived on one world suddenly found themselves ripped away a second time, their loved ones barely managing to join them.

One act… the Ripple, as it would be later called… affected countless lives…

~MC~MC~MC~

The first thing I noticed when I got off the ground was that I was in some room that looked like Jeff Bridges' wet dream if all he thought about was the movie Tron and not weed.

The next thing I noticed was that Jim Carey was looking at me.

"So," he said, staring down at me with consideration, "I really want to know how you managed to get in here, considering my systems have this entire lab locked completely down. This is done so I don't have to deal with the annoyances of the world that seek to stifle my genius. And yet… here you are." He slow clapped his hands right in front of my face. "Which makes you something that is impossible and while normally I love to deal with impossible things… in fact there is nothing better on this planet than an impossible thing that I can turn from impossible to merely probably and then into the utter norm… I am in the middle of dealing with something else. Which means you are now a burden." He waved his hand and suddenly two drones that had been resting on work benches launched themselves at me, grabbing me by the arms and lifting me up so that he could talk with me without having to crouch. "Unless… you are the impossible thing. Is that it? Are you the source of that power and these delightful blue quills?" He leaned in, grabbing my face and twisting it first one way and then the other. "And if not… then you are just an annoyance keeping me from those quills."

He reached into his pocket and held one up and I mentally groaned; I was in the Sonic Movie.

I'd never seen the Sonic movie.

I knew about Sonic but I'd never seen the movie.

Meaning I had no idea what was going on and just how Eggman Jim was at this point.

'Why couldn't it be Sonic X?' I thought bitterly. 'I could have done a lot with that!' I shook my head; no use worrying about that. What could have been didn't matter… what mattered was the here and now and that included Jim Carey's Robotnik preparing to kill me or worse for interrupting him.

I needed a way out.

'Alright Brain… do something smart!'

"I'm your son!" I shouted.

Jim blinked.

I blinked.

'Smarter, brain!'

"From an alternate reality!" I quickly added. That caused Robotnik to tilt his head, considering me carefully. "In that reality you settled for a life of… mediocrity. Of PTA meetings and bowling on the weekends. Of worrying about what to put on your lawn in order to keep away the crab grass and switching to a white-meat only diet."

"I hate bowling," Robotnik stated. "Wearing another man's shoes, the stench of old smoke and floor polish…" He gave a full body shudder.

"Ditto," I lied. "The you of that reality… you were stifling when it came to creativity. Unable to see the big picture, to become all you could possibly be. Happy to just stay in your happy little corner… or at least what you had deluded yourself into believing was 'happy'. And you tried to force that upon all those around you."

"That explains the outfit," he said, looking at my hoodie and jeans.

"Right," I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at that comment. "So, I sought out a way to find a version of you that could help me become all I wished to be… and here I am. One little wish-"

"Magic?" Robotnik complained. "You want me to believe in magic?" He threw back his head and gave a barking laugh.

"No, I want you to believe in an energy source that can fold the universe based on my request but is so complex that people give it 'mystical' origins."

Robotnik considered that before slowly nodding. "Right… I can see that. And technically since this system wouldn't be required to give you what you wanted it could be called a 'wish'. Request is better but not as short and powerful of a word." He finally nodded. "So… you are my boy then?"

A trick I had learned when it came to telling a lie was to wrap the lie is so much truth that it was impossible to find it.

Another trick I had learned was make the lie so insane that the only answer was that it had to be true because no one would be that DUMB to come up with it.

"What, can't see the family resemblance?" I gestured at my face, including my moustache (though mine merged into my beard.).

"…my baby boy!" Robotnik declared, giving me a massive hug. "Oh, look at you! So handsome! A chip off the ol' block!"

"Uh huh," I said with a nod as I puzzled out what the fuck to do next. "So… you are hunting after Sonic?"

"Hunting who now?" he said, releasing me but keeping his hands on my shoulders.

'Oh fuck,' I thought even as I spun a new lie. "In my world… the blue quills… they come from a creature named Sonic. Pesky, annoying thing. Really loves his chili dogs. Honestly, I'm just glad there is only one of them as if there were more we'd need pest control."

"Sonic, huh? So that's the alien's name." He let me go and moved to the computer that was clearly his favorite to use. "That gives me something to go on. Already you are proving to be of use! Pop a squat, Sonny!" He gestured at a chair to his right.

I did so, though I quickly realized I needed a name. 'Avo? Like Ivo? No, that's fucking stupid. Who would call themselves Avo? I know…' Outloud I said, "I'm Errol, by the way."

"Errol Robotnik… yes… yes, I like it. Clearly my counterpart has good tastes at least when it comes to names! We need to work on your fashion sense."

"Speaking of, and I mean no offense, have you thought of adding a bit more red to your outfit? Get it to pop more?"

"My wardrobe is magnificent!" he yelled right in my face… before leaning back and rubbing his chin. "Though I suppose some scarlet would help me stand out more."

"Tails would make for a dramatic silhouette as you walked without needing a gaudy cape."

"Oh ho ho! I LIKE it!" He rubbed his hands together at that. "We are SO seeing my tailor. But first, the alien." He turned from me and waved his hand towards a tablet. "You go through my files, get familiar with my work. I have a Sonic to hunt down." He paused. "But don't think I won't be watching. First moment you prove yourself unworthy you… will be… grounded."

"Right," I said and I began to flip through the pad, my mind already racing. 'I don't know how much I can change… but I have a few ideas on how to help Sonic.'

Quietly setting up a protected file I entered in two different projects. The first one I knew Robotnik would be working on at some point. One I would have to keep a watch on. Get myself put in a position to help him with. The next?

The next all my own.

Project Metal

Project Hijack

INTRODUCING ERROL ROBOTNIK
The Chaos Of Earth 1991-M