Chaos Effect

Chapter 48

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Mai kept staring at her hands.

Of reactions I expected from the news of Selene and just who she was to all of us Mai flexing her fingers and looking at her palms was definitely far better than I had hoped. Not that I really understood WHY she was looking at her hands... crackling her knuckles... inspecting her nails... wiggling her fingers-

"Uh, Mai?" I asked, waving my hand in front of her face. "Earth to Mai..."

"Hmmm?" she said, blinking as she came out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what?"

"We kind of lost you there." I said. "Just wondering how you are doing."

"Good," she said, her tone making it clear that no, she was not doing 'good' at all. It was the same way a war vet might have said they were doing fine after being caught staring across a field while the sounds of gunfire and bombs went off in their head.

"Yeah, we believe that," Yuri said, walking over with several white bags, one of with was full of burgers that were nearly tumbling out. Cheap, hastily made, could sit out for 10 hours and still have the same temp and consistency burgers. "Okay, time for the breakfast of champions as we used to call it at the station." She set the bag down and took out a paper wrapped burger, tossing it to Renard. "Greasy, will destroy your bowel movements, but just what you need after a horrible day."

"Did you get any of the horribly named 'french fries'?" Renard asked.

"Taking that whole snobby European thing to the next level, I see," I teased. "But answer the man you get the fries?"

She held up the other bags. "Crispy and ready to be munched. And onion rings for you, Edwin."

"Thank you!" I said happily, snagging a burger and unwrapping it. But it wasn't for me as I instead thrust it into Mai's hands, startling her for a moment before she began to eat it. "Yeah, that's not a good sign. Mai isn't mocking my food choices." I grabbed another burger for myself only to pause as I saw the logo on the wrapper. "Is... is this the KaibaCorp logo?"

"Yes," Renard said. "He bought it a few weeks ago."

Yuri nodded. "You get a discount because you work there."

"I should get them for fucking free since I own 25% of it! And why does Seto own a hamburger joint?"

~Several Weeks Ago~

"Ya know," Joey said, munching on a burger from Burgerpalooza, "I have ta say of all the places one can get some grub I think this is my favorite!"

Seto, who was picking up Mokuba after he'd spent the day with Yugi and his friends (which Seto only allowed because Mokuba agreed to tell him about any dueling strategies Yugi mentioned), narrowed his eyes and didn't say a word... even when a glob of sauce from Joey's burger dripped down onto Seto's shoe.

"Heh, sorry 'bout that Kaiba!" Joey said with a bashful laugh.

"mmmmmm," Seto grumbled before getting into the limo with Mokuba... and taking out his cellphone. "Rogers? Buy Burgarpalooza and ban Joey Wheeler from all establishments."

~MC~MC~MC~

"Who knows why Seto Kaiba does what he does?" Renard said as he sat down on the short wall we had gathered around. It had been decided after the whole goddess thing, along with seeing the god card and Marik rip the soul out of another person that we were in desperate need of a lunch break. Even with the clock ticking down we still had plenty of time to get our locator cards. At worst I could have a mock duel with Renard to get his as while he was in Battle City he wasn't actually competing as he was far too focused on protecting my ass and Yuri even with her dueling knowledge could take or leave the entire Duel Monsters scene.

Besides, Mai needed time to decompress after the bombshell we'd dropped on her.

"Shouldn't I... glow?" Mai finally said, looking at her hands again which were clutching her half finished burger.

"Glow?"

"Because I'm a god," Mai said softly, brow furrowing. "Shouldn't I glow?"

"I don't think gods glow."

"You glow when you use the Millennium Key and you aren't a god."

Yuri glanced at me. "Yet."

"We're not discussing that," I said darkly. Selene's little reveal, that she planned to pull some Mary Sue bullshit on me and turn me into a god, was not sitting well with me at all. I'd entered this world and promised that I would avoid power because I knew how dangerous it was. The Lord of the Rings had taught me that power very easily corrupts. 'And now I am a multimillionaire who also possesses the Millennium Key,' I thought to myself. 'And I use its powers so freely and naturally... the temptation would be far too great if I let Selene actually make me a god. I don't know what powers I would have but whatever they might be I'd end up abusing them.' I looked at my own hands. 'And I would truly become a monster.'

"I just feel like there should have been... something... that let me know about this," Mai said. "Everything I thought I knew is wrong."

"It isn't wrong," I assured her, grabbing a pack of onion rings. "It's merely another piece. Selene said herself that you are her with no memories, no powers. You are her if she had taken a different path."

"I'm nothing then," Mai said. "A mask."

"You are Mai Valentine," I told her firmly, wanting to nip that little guilt trip in the bud. "She is Selene. You share a body but you are two very different people. Selene... she isn't you."

"She is me!" Mai exclaimed, for the first time showing real passion since she'd learned the truth of her existence. "And now she is obsessed with turning you into a god and she probably has no problem destroying cities and sacrificing puppies and babies and bringing about the end of days! That's who I am!"

"It isn't," I repeated.

"How... how can you be so calm about this?" Mai asked in anger, glaring at me. "Why aren't you freaking out?"

"You want me to freak out?" I asked.

"No... yes... I don't know but I don't understand how you can just sit there and accept that I am a monster."

"You aren't Selene."

"Yes I am! I'm her! She's me!"

"You are the same person but living two different lives. I get that."

Mai trembled in rage. "You have NO idea what this is like."

"Yes I do," I retorted firmly.

"How?"

"Because Yuri and I fucking lived through it!" I shouted, causing Mai to reel back.

"Captain..." Renard said softly, startled by my outburst. I was startled too so I turned my head away from Mai and sought to calm myself. Yuri though looked at me and quietly nodded, understanding just what I was speaking of.

"A few months back... Yuri and I, along with Tristan and Tea, were transported to another world. Another universe. One that exists in the same location as this earth but at a different... frequency. There everything was reversed. Good was evil and evil was good. Yuri met a version of herself who had become just like her father on our Earth. The same Yuri... identical in body, probably right down to her DNA... but who had taken a different path. Starting small. Yuri went left, she went right. Yuri chose one door her doppelganger chose another. And that all began to cascade down upon itself until they became radically different people. Our Yuri who refused to allow herself to become corrupted by an unjust system. Another Yuri who became the master of that system and worked to see it become all the more unfair to all."

"...there was another version of you?" Mai asked softly.

"Aiden Order." I huffed. "A horrible name, I know. But he was me. Except he went down different paths as well. Compromised where I stood firm... and then came on like a storm where I worked with others. Until I had to watch him use the Millennium Rod to do to Yuri just what Marik is doing to the Rare Hunters. On another world... I am no better than Marik. I am a monster who helped a madman rip souls out of bodies and take over an entire city." I looked down at the onion ring in my hand. "So yes... I know what it's like to realize someone wearing your face is a monster."

Yuri remained silent. I was glad. I was so very glad she didn't bring up the one small fact that would have taken my point and twisted it to supporting Mai's view that she and Selene were exactly the same: the fact that I had been just like Aiden. I had ripped Earth-2 Serenity's soul out of her body and banished it to the Shadow Realm. Just like Aiden Order.

Because while he was my dark reflection... there was light in him. He'd freed Yuri and Tea and Tristan. Just as there was darkness in me. I had killed.

"So," I said only to pause, hearing the heaviness in my voice. I cleared my throat and continued, "So, I know what it is like. Your situation is a touch different since you have Selene bubbling around in the back of your head... but I understand. And I am telling you that you aren't Selene. And you aren't some mask she wears. She decided to have a mortal life... and in doing so creating something. Nothing in this world can be destroyed or created she said, only changed. But she's wrong... because she created you." I placed my hand on her knee. "And that is all that matters to me."

Mai looked down again, a slight smile tugging on her lips. "This would be really touching if you didn't have onion ring grease on your fingers."

I snickered at that and we went back eating our comfort food, not really saying anything just focusing on decompressing. There were still issues... but at the moment we just wanted to focus on other things.

When the food was done we all stood upon and awkwardly shifted before I finally broke the ice. "So... want to hang out and find some people to duel?"

"If it's okay I want to duel on my own for a little while," Mai said. "I need to... get my head on straight and I think thrashing some weaklings might help."

"If you're sure," I said and when she nodded I leaned in for a kiss only for Mai to stop me. "If this is about Selene-"

"Its about onion breath. Those burgers liked to layer them on." She glanced at Yuri. "We need to find a bathroom so I can brush my teeth."

I watched the two of them go, glad at least that we were parting on good terms and knew we'd see each other soon when we were headed to the finals. It was only when Mai was out of sight that my smile fell. "Renard."

"Yes Captain?"

"Contact Alan. And Cassie." Alan was someone I had gotten in contact with at the Domino Museum when I'd realized Battle City was coming up; he covered my tracks if I slipped and used Anime Knowledge to say something about the Tomb Keepers or Egypt that I shouldn't know. Cassie was Industrial Illusions Lore Mistress in charge of providing information on all the cards, both their in-game tales and their real world origins. "I need them to do some research for me. Hush hush."

"About?" Renard asked.

"How does one depower a god?"

"Captain?"

"Selene won't view Mai like I do. She'll see her as nothing. The moment the god cards are all together she's going to move to take them and try to make her grand plan to make me ascend come true. I'm not going to let that happen. But I can't beat her. And I can't risk hurting Mai. So we are going to make Mai the dominate. We're going to strip Selene of her powers."

~MC~MC~MC~

"It feels like this should... feel different," Yugi said, looking down at Slifer the Sky Dragon. "But it doesn't. It just feels like any other card." He traced his finger along the surface of the trading card, feeling the edge, the smooth surface, all of it. He'd handed hundreds of cards, probably thousands of cards, in his time both helping his grandpa run the card shop and building his own decks. And this card was exactly the same as all the others he handled. Nothing special at all.

Except it was special. Very special. People were losing their souls for this card and its brothers.

The Pharaoh's ghostly form appeared beside him. 'Looks can be deceiving. You should know that better than most, Yugi. We can't judge what power something has just by its appearance.'

Yugi nodded, remembering the fear that had permeated his body when he'd first laid eyes on Slifer towering over him. "I'm glad we have this card now. I feel a lot better with us having it rather than Marik."

'I do as well. But we also must remain cautious... more so than before. Marik was only hunting us for the Puzzle. But we have now defeated him and his Rare Hunters three times.' His own thoughts flashed to those they had taken on since returning from Duelist Kingdom. 'Bandit Keith nearly killed you in that warehouse fire. And then there was the Cabal and her demented beliefs that she could defeat us and save her partner Arkana. And now Strings. Marik is not one to take failure lightly.'

"And he's not just targeting us... he's targeting our friends. He said that Tea and Joey and Tristan and everyone else was in danger. He's already gone after Joey and Edwin... who knows who is in danger next."

'So long as Mokuba stays with Kaiba I believe he will be okay. Edwin has shown great mastery with the Millennium Key and with Renard, Yuri, and Mai with him I do believe he can handle most Rare Hunters. Joey, Tea, and Tristan have had their minds locked down... but that doesn't mean the Rare Hunters won't go after them.'

"So we need to find our friends!" Yugi exclaimed.

But as he stood up the Pharaoh shook his head. 'While I want to protect them too we do them no good if we do not continue in this Tournament. Marik is the kind of cheat who will have his Rare Hunters bring him locator cards to ensure he gets in the finals. And if Kaiba does hold the final God Card as Edwin suggested... then we must be in the finals as well. Marik controlling one god card is a dark thing but I also worry what that kind of power could do to Kaiba.'

Yugi thought of the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "Yeah... Kaiba was already willing to do what it took in order to win. With the power of a god card?" He paused, looking down at Slifer. "Is it safe to even use Slifer then?"

'Yes, Yugi,' the Pharaoh said. 'We know of the dangers of that card and will be able to guard ourselves against falling into the temptation it offers. And... I can't truly explain it... but I feel as if that Slifer is part of the key to the mystery that is my missing memories. Clearly it was important in my past.' He thought of the tablet showing him dueling a version of Kaiba. 'I can only hope that by gathering the three Egyptian God Cards the mysteries locked away in my mind will be revealed.'

"We'll figure it out, Pharaoh," Yugi said. "But now we need to find our final two locator cards AND ensure our friends are safe!"

With that the two headed off... never noticing a cloaked figure watching them.

~MC~MC~MC~

"And down he goes!" Joey said with a cheer, thrusting his fist in the air as his opponent, who had been using a deck built around bicycles of all things, saw his very last monster destroyed. And with it the last of his life points destroyed. "And with that I go to 4 Locator Cards!"

"Man!" the duelist complained, walking over to Joey and holding out the locator card. He was dressed in rather tight shorts, a muscle shirt, goggles, and a helmet along with knee and elbow pads. His duel disc was also mounted to his mountain bike. "I was hoping that by beating you I'd punch my ticket to the finals!"

"Still plenty of time," Joey commented as he took the Locator card and slipped it into his pocket with the other ones in his possession. They were standing next to Joey's high school but classes were out for the summer and as such it served as the perfect place for a duel."Can't get too down on yourself."

"I suppose. Anyway, here is my rarest card..."

"Tell ya what," Joey said, feeling bad for the fellow, "you won a few other duels, right? Let me see what cards you won there. If one of them works better for my deck I'll take that instead of your rarest card, that way you don't have to destroy your deck and ruin your chances of coming back and facin' me in the fianls!"

"You... you mean it?" the man said, looking at Joey utterly hopeful. "That would... oh, that would be the best!"

"Hey, no sweat pal! I'm in this to win but not ta destroy others." The other duelist handed Joey his won cards and he began to go through them. "Well, my friend runs a fairy deck so maybe I can get her that in worst case but I really don't think it would work for her. Not sure about that one... oh." Joey paused, staring at the final card his opponent had won.

"Oh that... I took on this guy that was real old school. Kept complaining about how people got a bunch of rare cards for free and it was better to make decks you liked. Except he didn't even have any machine monsters in his deck so that was worthless. Weirdest thing."

"I'll take it," Joey said, pocketing the Machina card. 'Tristan... I still don't agree with you entering this tournament. I don't know what changed but suddenly you and Tea decided that you were amazing duelists and could do what me and Yug do. I'm worried about ya man... worried you rushed in too quick. Should have waited for a smaller tournament than this. Still... it wasn't right of me not ta support ya. Yug had my back when I decided to leap into Duelist Kingdom... and you and Tea probably know just as much as I did back then. Heh... you probably knew more. Well... when I see ya next pal I'm gonna make it up ta ya and this card is how I'll do it!'

"Well, I need to go find someone else to duel," the bike duelist said, adjusting the straps on his helmets. "Of course if this tournament dueled with my custom rules I would have won!"

"Yeah, but anyone can win if they make up the rules to let'em win."

"I don't mean like that!" the bike duelist complained but in a good-natured sort of way. "I've come up with a way for someone to duel while riding their bike."

"Ridin'... their bike?"

"Yup! It's a race and it's a duel!"

Joey scratched his head, trying to imagine such a duel but all he could see in his head was him smashing into a tree. "Sorry man but I just don't get it."

"Well you should!" the duelist said. "Trust me... in the future card games will be played on bikes!" And with that he pedaled off.

"Heh... like that will ever happen," Joey muttered, stuffing his one hand in his pocket and beginning to walk away. "Alright, think I should grab a bite to eat before I go have my next duel..."

"Hmmm... a five."

"Eh?" Joey said, turning and looking about before he noticed a rather odd looking person looking intently at a tablet. The figure was tall but also lean with sharp cheek bones, a round chin, a bowl cut hairdo while also sporting a massive pony tail, and their clothing had more ruffles than Pegasus. "Were you talkin' ta me?"

"I was," the figure confirmed, stilling looking at their tablet. "I was ranking your duel again that bicyclist. I give it a five."

"I don't know about that... I mean I didn't cream the guy but I'd give myself at least a seven. Maybe an eight."

"Hmmm... well I suppose you did show a touch of skill with that last combo. Very well, I can be fair. A seven."

"Hey, thanks! Seven out of Ten is pretty darn good!"

The figure laughed at that.

"What's the big idea? Seven out of Ten... that's like a C+!"

"It is... I was laughing because you thought I was using a rather basic Ten Point Scale. No no... I was using a One Hundred Point Scale."

"A One... wait a minute." Joey's brow furrowed as he mentally went over the numbers. "HEY! You were gonna give me a Five out of One Hundred!"

"I was nice and gave you a Seven. Though now I am wondering if I was far too generous. That is always the risk with slackers like you... give them too much and they never strive to move from terrible to mediocre."

"Medi... no one askedyou, lady!"

THAT caused the figure to stiffen before they slowly looked up, eyes sharp as they glowered at Joey. "I am no 'lady'. I... am a man."

"...listen, whatever ya want ta call yourself is fine. Ed has been getting on all of us ta be inclusive-"

"I was born a man and I remain a man!" the figure snapped. "Unlike you who remains a petulant little brat."

"I'm not peta-whatever! I just don't like it when people think they can talk down ta me!"

"I don't think I can talk down to you... I know I can. How you managed to make it as far as you did in Duelist Kingdom I will ever understand. You lack the understanding and academics in order to be a proper duelist." The insulting jerk tucked his tablet under his arm. "I've seen enough and I think I will be on my way now."

"Hey!" Joey shouted, taking a step forward and clenching his fist in front of his face. "Listen here, pal! No one talks ta me like that! Ya think you're so better than me at duelin'? Well, how 'bout you and me have a duel right here, right now!"

"Can't," the jerk said.

"What, chicken?"

"Nooooo. It's the matter that there is a 30 minute timer that prevents you from dueling, to prevent others from attacking you just after a duel. You are locked out until then and I have better things to do than to feel my brain cells wither and die while spending a second more in your company."

"Well... uh... well I'm just gonna follow ya then until the timer is up and then you'll have ta duel me."

"Oh yes, I am sure that is a brilliant strategy."

Joey began to chase after the jerk duelist. "Nothing stopping me! Except this lock but in 27 minutes it is gone and we are duelin'! Ya hear that! Ya?" He continued to give chase after his new foe.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Anyone strike your fancy, Renard?" Edwin asked as he hung up the phone and pocketed it.

"No one so far but again I am not interested in actually dueling. Your protection is far more important." He glanced at his protectee. "How were things with Alan and Cassie?"

"I have them looking into lore and history. They both probably think I am nuts but hey it's worth a shot. Cassie did ask me if I was changing my name to Kratos."

Renard chuckled at that before his mood grew more serious. "And you mean what you say... you want to depower Selene?"

"Destroy that part of Mai, remove her power... worst case erase Selene and leave Mai with the god powers but that is worst case scenario."

"Because..."

"The powers of the gods shouldn't exist," Edwin said firmly. "The gods are fickle bastards. They meddle in the lives of mortals and for the most part it never ends well. I can only think of one time, honestly, where it had a happy ending: Eros and Psyche. That was the only time a god loving a mortal... or hell just interfering with their lives, ended in something other than pain. Even their 'gifts' are horrible. Orion turned to stars."

"Endymion put to sleep forever," Renard pointed out; Cassie had given them all sorts of lore on Endymion when she'd realized her new boss played that deck. "And apparently fathered many children even as he slept."

Edwin shuddered at that mention of casual rape. "Well, considering that Selene is pretty damn sure I used to be Endymion we know the sleep part is a lie." He shook his head in annoyance. "Blast, I need to duel and get my mind off things. Cabal wasted too much of my time. I have three locator cards so I need to hurry up and get my other half now."

"Plenty of duelists to choose from," Renard commented, looking about the shops. The sidewalk was filled with duelists mingling about but none of them were actually dueling... and there downcast faces answered why.

"They are already out of the tournament," Edwin said. "And I'm not kicking someone when they are down."

"That is a rather noble sentiment," someone told them and Renard whipped around, fists balled up and ready only to find an older man with a bald head, a dark goatee, and a pleasant smile on his face holding up his hands quickly in a show of surrender. He was wearing a suit and honestly looked like he should have been in a board room rather than on the street. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to startle you... or eavesdrop. But you were talking rather loudly."

"I tend to do that," Edwin said, glancing at the man's duel disc. "Out of the tournament?"

"Actually I am still in it. Though I don't know if I will make it into the finals... I honestly don't care, to be truthful. I have other interests."

"Like..." Edwin said slowly and Renard got why; while he wasn't wearing the purple robes the figure could easily be a Rare Hunter.

"Interesting people, to be honest." The man motioned towards a bench and sat down, though Edwin and Renard remained standing. "I am part of... well, I am not sure what to call it. A club is far too pedestrian. A society makes us sound rather dark and sinister. Brotherhood is wrong because we have admitted women many times into our rank. Let us say we are an... Order. Yes, I think that will do rather nicely.

"My Order was founded thousands of years ago. You'll find it hard to believe but we can trace our history back to the Trojan War. Survivors of that campaign and the voyage home decided to gather together, to share stories of the battles they fought and won. And as time went by other warriors joined in too, telling their tales. As the years went by the stories of war because contemplation for wars that might be fought. What would happen if this nation fought another? Until it was decided that the battle of fists and blades was meaningless... it was the battle within the mind that mattered."

"Go on," Edwin said, clearly interested.

The man smiled at that. "We did this through many ways. Chess originated from our Indian Bureau. Other games did too. And if we didn't invent it we were quick to adopt it if it let us study the ways of conflict without truly endangering a soul. Man is a violent creature by nature but we found that if you make the violence and bloodlust exist only in the mind... why everyone wins. Do you understand?"

"I do," Edwin said. "I read a story once where great warriors would fight battles in their minds, describing the movement of their armies, how they would attack and defend. One of the greatest of these fights, a civil war, saw one general destroy both armors before placing he and his foe on other ends of a bridge over a deep chasm. The bridge was needed for the survival of their people... the families left behind. The battle was no longer about strength of an arm... but survival of their society. He asked his foe what he would do and despite some attempts at trickery... the foe could not win. To step back was to surrender. To step forward proved he placed his fate in the other general's control."

"What book was this?" the bald man said, rather excitedly. "I must read it."

"Dinotopia," Edwin said with a smile. "The Lost City."

"I will find it and enjoy."

Edwin nodded. "I'm guessing then that Duel Monsters has been a boon to you and your Order."

"It has. Don't misunderstand, we love all manner of games that simulate battle. But Duel Monsters has taken the premise we began with and expanded it to heights and depths we never had a chance to explore before!" The man threw his arms out wide. "With chess you understand each piece. The pawn can move only a certain way, same with the knight. And each side has the same pieces. It is interesting, placing everyone with the exact resources and seeing how they use them, but it isn't exactly truthful to war, now is it? In conflicts one has more than another. This has been true since Cain grabbed hold of the rock while his brother had nothing but his fists. Duel Monsters allows us to actually examine true war, where you don't know what your enemy has until you face them on the battle field."

"Unless you watch them duel," Renard pointed out, folding his arms over his chest.

"That is true, my new friend, that is true, but there are always secrets to be had. Duel Monsters has taken our purpose and expanded it a thousand fold. Why... we have even begun to form Schools."

"Schools?" Edwin asked, curious.

"Yes. For how one battles in Duel Monsters. There are after all many different ways for one to handle conflict. An all out blitzkrieg. Subtle assassination. Politics. Hit and run tactics. So on and so forth. My Order has begun to form schools around different thoughts when it comes to battle. It is why I am here in Battle City; I wish to perfect my own School so I might present it to others within the Order and make it official and bring about students of my own."

"Interesting," Edwin said.

The man nodded before pointing at him. "You, Edwin Chaos, are known to us in our Order. The Guardian Devil who believes that everything must serve more than a single purpose. Every deal you make is filled with layers, like some complex dessert where there are treasures that await the gourmet. I dare say you could start your own school if you wished." He then chuckled at that though neither Edwin nor Renard understood just what was so funny. "Pardon me... an inside joke. Maybe later I'll share it with you."

"Right... so I'm guessing you want to challenge me to a duel, to see how your School does against me?"

"Indeed!" the man said. "And I'll make it interesting: I will wager two of my locator cards if you would ignore the Ante Rule."

Edwin considered that. If he lost he'd be down a Locator Card and his Rabiddragon dud. He'd still have Weevil's card he could pay off if he lost again. But win and he'd be only one locator card away from the finals. And honestly with how his decks were there were few cards the other duelists had that would help him.

"Deal," he finally said, taking a step back. "Mind if I ask your name though before we begin?"

"Sheppard," the man said with a smile.

"Shep... oh."

"Captain?"

"Nothing Renard," Edwin said as he activated his duel disc. "Nothing at all."

~MC~MC~MC~

'Chancellor Sheppard,' I thought as I looked at the other man as he shuffled his deck. 'I shouldn't be surprised. He'd have to be a good duelist for Seto to hire him. And that makes the entire Order and School thing make sense.' I racked my brain to try and remember what I knew about Cyber Style, the Dueling Technique that Sheppard would one day pass onto Zane only for him to corrupt it by creating Reverse Cyber Style with his Cyberdark Dragons. 'The entire deck is built around fusions. Taking already strong monsters and making them even stronger and overwhelming your opponent. Fast, hard attacks that build upon each other as the beast you face gets more difficult to defeat as it grows and evolves.' I paused, fighting a smile. 'But... it's like a brick wall that hasn't been mortared properly: just need to find the right brick and everything goes crashing down.' I activated my Duel Disc and drew my opening hand. 'All I need to do is find what piece of his deck is key and send the entire thing toppling.'

"When we face off in this battle we will be bitter foes," Sheppard told me. "But only from the moment we begin until the last lifepoint drops. Before that we are men of culture and afterwards we will meet as friends who have learned much through this staged battle. As such we offer respect to our foe, to let them know what happens next is not personal and will be forgiven." He bowed to me and after a moment I did the same. "Now then... make your move Edwin and let us see what kind of warrior you are!"

"I am no warrior... I am a mage," I said as I held up a card. "So I start with this: Terraforming! This card allows me to select one field spell from my deck and add it to my hand." I tapped my duel disc and the only possible choice spat out. "And I activate it now: The Citadel of Endymion!"

Domino disappeared from view as the holo projectors activated and created the great city stated of the Master of Magicians. The tall towers, the institutes of learning, even the lowly street corner hummed with captured magic.

"And now I will set this monster in face down defense mode and end my turn."

"An interesting move, giving you advantage of battle field," Sheppard said as he drew his card. "But it won't help you! I summon my Cyber Phoenix and have it attack your facedown!" The metallic bird had barely formed before it rocketed forward, screeching as it latched its talons into my monster... only to cry out now in pain as my facedown revealed itself to be my Servant of Endymion. And the woman who was Endymion's trusted aide had a stronger defense than Cyber Phoenix's attack, so she easily blasted the bird away with a shot from her short staff, returning the avian to Sheppard's side of the field. "Hmmm... first blood is yours. But I'll bleed you dry before this is done!" (Sheppard-3700)

'Well, he's intense,' I thought to myself. Sheppard was beginning to bounce up and down, clearly getting worked up as the duel truly began. 'Guess all that talk about treating this like a real fight wasn't just stuff for the brochures. Alright then... let's see how far he's willing to go.' I held up a card. "I activate Pot of Duality, allowing me to select the top three cards from my deck, select one..." I looked over my cards before picking out a spell card, "...and shuffling the rest back into my deck. And I'll end my turn here."

"Pathetic," Sheppard said sternly, his good and friendly nature gone as he sneered in my direction. "You fight like a timid child who has stumbled a few feet from his house and thinks the woods are the jungle. If you wish to win this duel then you will need to show true fire! If you even have any!" He drew his next card. "I will then set this one card on the field and sacrifice my Cyber Phoenix for the true terror of my deck. Come forth Cyber Ogre!"

"Certainly not Shrek," I muttered as the horned robotic creature appeared, flexing its massively long claws before glaring right at me and my Servant.

"Jokes... I know you love to make them. I wonder if you'll be laughing when I defeat you! Cyber Ogre attack!" The mechanical menace roared and launched himself at my Servant shattering her into bits. It was only because she was in defense mode that my lifepoints remained whole.

"You know," I said as I drew my next card, "that monster is impressive. A real powerhouse. But like you said... every move must serve more than one purpose. Let me give you a demonstration. I first summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode!" One of the two sentry warriors of the Citadel appeared, spinning his blade before pointing it right at Sheppard. "Next I activate an old favorite of mine: The Book of the Moon!" The blue book appeared, Breaker grabbing it and opening it up. "This contains powerful magic that allows me to force one of your monsters into facedown defense mode. Meaning you wasted your Phoenix to bring out a monster that is about to be turned into tiny bits of shrapnel."

Sheppard though merely smirked. "Fool. I activate Cyber Reformat!" The spell card, showing a Cyber Ogre going haywire, appeared on the field. "This card allows me to select one Cyber monster in my graveyard and give its affect to a monster currently on the field. So Cyber Phoenix's Spell Negation Effect automatically goes to Cyber Ogre, protecting him!" The ghostly form of the Phoenix appeared over the Ogre before the wings solidified, making it a flying Ogre. "Meaning that Brekaer and my Ogre are evenly matched!"

"Then a stalemate," I said, already moving to set a card in my Spell and Trap Zone to protect myself. Only, to my surprise, Breaker suddenly came to a stop. "What?"

"I activated my Ogre's original effect, which allows him to stop one battle with your monster by sending a card from my hand to the graveyard... but in exchange that allows him to gain 2000 attack points during the next battle phase." The Cyber Ogre let out a roar as its attack points jumped to 3900.

"Captain!" Renard called out. "You must be careful! He clearly wanted to have full control of the battlefield."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Good thing I like doing the same thing." I selected a different card from my hand and set it face down on the field. "I end my turn then, Sheppard."

"Everyone spoke of how impressive you were but now that we have crossed swords... I can't help but wonder if the pathetic little man before me is the same mighty Edwin Chaos that so many claim rival Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba." Sheppard scoffed. "Or I'm just that good. Cyber Ogre, destroy his Breaker!"

"Activate my own Quick Play Spell Card!" I shouted. "Another Book of the Moon!"

"I'll just negate it with my Ogre!" Sheppard said.

"I'm not aiming at your Ogre," I taunted. "I'm aiming that spell at my Breaker, shifting him to defense mode and protecting my lifepoints!" My magical warrior shattered but my lifepoints remained at 4000.

Sheppard though wasn't impressed, setting a card on the field. "This duel has gotten into the true meat of it all but you remain a coward who refuses to face me!" He slammed his fist against his chest. "Fight me like a warrior!"

"And I told you... I am no warrior." I drew my next card. "Have you heard of the Young Lion and the Old?" I shook my head when he didn't say a word. "The Young Lion roared and bellowed to let the world know he was there and he desired much. The grasslands quaked with his call. But it also alerted his prey and they scampered away, forcing him to give chase. The Old Lion... he maked not a sound. He slinks on his belly like a serpent. He waits and lets opportunity after opportunity go by. Until... the perfect one arrives... and he takes his prey. The herd doesn't even realize that one is missing. The Old Lion takes what he wants without even a murmur.

"Allow me to show you how the Old Lion hunts."

"This is going to be a show!" Renard declared with a laugh, a crowd gathering to watch us as he leapt onto a low wall and sat upon it.

"First I activate Spell Power Mastery, which allows me to add Spell Counters to a card on my field for the number of Spell Power Grasps and Masterys in my graveyard and on the field. Since there is only one I only get to add one... but remember what I said about every move needing to do more than one thing? Well... my Citadel has been quietly gathering spell counters every time one of us played a spell card. All our little back and forths have been building to this moment... a favorite move of mine. I set in my Right Most Spell Zone Endymion, The Mighty Master of Magic, and then remove from my Citadel 6 Spell Counters in order to summon him directly to the field! Come forth ENDYMION!"

There was a blast of magic from the Heavens and as it faded away Endymion was revealed, twirling his staff before pointing it right at Sheppard's Ogre. The tip of his staff began to glow white hot and the mage smirked as the power built.

"And because he was summoned that way his effect activates, allowing me to banish your Ogre from the field." I held my arms out wide. "So long, bitches!" Endymion fired, causing the Ogre to turn into negative colors before fading away; he wasn't through though yet as he suddenly leapt into the air. "And now it's time for me to take out your lifepoints!" But just as Endymion was nearing Sheppard... I held out my hand and smirked. "But... I think I'll hold off." Endymion returned to my side of the field. "I don't like that downface card so I think I'll send in one of Endymion's loyal guard to check it out. I summon Crusader of Endymion to the field!" The warrior, dressed in armor so you couldn't see his face and bearing two curved bladed shields, appeared before Endymion, bowing to him before turning to face Sheppard. "Crusader, attack him directly!"

The Crusader nodded and ran forward, bringing his shield down... just as my oppenet's trap flipped up.

"I activate Cyber Duplication!"

"And I activate ENdymion's special ability!" I called out, preventing Sheppard from saying another word. "This effect allows me to send one card with Spell Counters back to my hand, moving the counters to Endymion himself, and in exchange I can then negate your card's effect. My Citadel returns to my hand..." Domino reappeared as the Spell Counters from the City of Endymion flew around their master, "...and your trap is sent to the graveyard. Now Crusader, finish your attack so we can end this duel!"

Sheppard though merely stood tall even as the shield dropped down... on another Cyber Ogre.

"My Cyber Duplication has two effects. If on the field it would have created another Crusader of Endymion but this one would have been a Cyber Monster I controlled. But if it is sent to the graveyard I get to summon one monster from my deck directly to the field. I chose another Cyber Ogre and now I can activate his effect, stopping the battle between Crusader and Ogre and increasing his attack to 3900." Sheppard let out a dismissive snort. "In your rush to end things you only doom yourself."

"We shall see, I suppose," I said, forced to end my turn. 'If he's smart he'll go after Endymion. He is the stronger monster and next turn I'll be able to actually block his effects. But he might go after Crusader in hopes of getting more lifepoint damage and trying to eliminate me quick. It all depends on what else he has in store for me.'

"A brilliant combo," Renard said with a nod of his head. "You were able to neutralize him and set yourself up well."

"Even your servant knows I'm better than you."

"Renard can appreciate moves. I'm not going to force him to blindly support me in everything." I shot Sheppard a dark look. "And I get that all this macho trash talk hyper aggression bullshit is your 'thing' to deal with the rage or the darkness within you but you will fucking respect him."

Sheppard though merely raised his eyebrow at my comment. "We all have rage and darkness in us. That is why these duels are important: to give us an outlet to deal with such things." He stared at me rather intently. "You have much rage in you, Edwin. I can nearly TASTE it. Yet even with all your jokes and insults... you never have truly released it. Not for a long time."

"Because I know how to temper my anger."

"Or you bottle it up until it explodes," Sheppard said, hitting a bit too close to home for my liking.

"Just make your next move," I snapped.

The bald man merely drew, a smile tugging on his lips. "I think I have a new goal: to make you show what is truly in your heart. To reveal the fires the Devil hides." He held up a card. "And I start with this: My Cyber Troll."

A small, silver robotic creature with long ears, spikes on its back, and a mouth full of metal teeth let out a laugh as it appeared on the field. It began to run about before settling next to Sheppard's Ogre, looking up at it and leering. (1000/200)

"He might not seem like much but my Cyber Troll is very important to seeing your downfall. When he is on the field or in the graveyard I can treat him like a Cyber Ogre."

"Only one reason for that..." I muttered.

"I actvaite Cyberburst Fusion!" Sheppard declared, revealing a Fusion card that showed two Cyber Ogres on it, swirling towards the center. "This card allows me to fusion summon a fusion monster from my Extra Deck and have it attack without waiting. He can also attack every monster you control. However he will be destroyed at the end of my turn. As such I fusion my Cyber Ogre and my Cyber Troll to summon Cyber Ogre 2!"

I would never understand how the mechanical beast that appeared before me could be called an 'Ogre'. But I did understand that it was dangerous. It had no legs but a long tail, massive forearms, a giant chest, and a toothy maw that threatened to swallow my monsters whole.

"That beast is still weaker than your Endymion, Captain!" Renard called out. "It must have a dangerous effect!"

"Your friend is right," Sheppard said, having at least learned not to talk shit about Renard in front of me. "The Cyber Ogre 2 gains attack equal to half of the attack of the monster it is battling! Meaning that with its already meaty 2600 attack points it will be able to run right over your monsters! First... your Endymion!"

The Cyber Ogre 2 bellowed as lines of energy glowed on its body, causing it to power up to 4000 attack. Endymion didn't even brace himself, merely standing tall with a dignified look on his face even as the Cyber Ogre 2 slammed its fist into him, shattering him and sending him to my extra deck.

"And your Crusader!" Sheppard bellowed. His monster's attack went down to 3550 but that was still more than enough to slay my warrior, my lifepoint tracker rapidly tumbling down in response. "I will set this card and say goodbye to my Cyber Ogre 2. Now... how will you respond?" (Edwin-1150)

"I assume you want me to curse and rage and scream?" I said dryly.

"I want you to embrace you emotions! Show me what lies in your heart."

"Determination," I said simply. "I summon Magical Abductor to the field and also reactivate the Citadel of Endymion!" The great city appeared before us once more while the Magical Abductor stood tall, holding her staff and looking out over the field with a determined gaze. "And now I activate Spell Power Grasp to add a spell counter to my Citadel and, because Grasp was a spell itself, add more spell counters to my Abductor and my Citadel... which also added counters to Abductor when it was activated." The field spell and my mage both gained two spell counters. "And while you did a lot of damage with your Cyber Ogre 2 you have still been left defenseless and at my mercy! Abductor attack!"

"Reveal my trap card!" Sheppard said with an arrogant grin. "Cyber Gremlin!" A tiny, giggling robotic creature that looked like a cross between a frilled lizard and a monkey appeared, pointing at me and laughing. "I can summon Cyber Gremlin tokens on the field equal to the number of Cyber Gremlins on my field or in my graveyard."

Renard frowned as two more appeared. "But you never played... the discard cost to use your non-fusion Ogres' effects!"

"Seeding my graveyard, yes!" Sheppard said. "I've taken your method and improved it, Edwin! Every move has more than one goal! I am doing far better than you are when it comes to such things!"

"You really aren't," I said with a dark smirk. "All you've done is stall! Abductor, waste Gizmo there!" My mage nodded and blasted one of the defense position tokens. "You keep talking about wanting me to treat this as a battle of passion... and that might work for you. But for me? I prefer to fight with cunning and from a place of strength. Which is exactly where I am."

"You believe me defenseless with just my tokens?" Sheppard asked. "Think again. I activate Monster Reborn! Return my Cyber Ogre 2!" The giant robotic beast appeared and let out a roar that rattled the towers of the Citadel. "I can't attack this turn but next turn I will lay waste to your monsters and claim the last of your lifepoints! How does it feel to know-"

"Oh shut up!" I snapped. "You want anger? Heh... I'm good."

I wasn't.

But the anger that was inside wasn't from Sheppard and this duel. It was about Selene meddling in things. It was that I didn't know how to make Mai feel okay about what was happening. It was Marik fucking things up in my life. The feeling that people were still judging me as unimportant or without honor just because I liked being me. It was the entire fucking state of my life at that moment and how in a few hours I'd gone from understanding my place in the world to having my girlfriend be an insane clingy ho bag that wanted to force me to become a god and people not seeing why that was a god damn problem!

Yeah... there was anger... but Sheppard wasn't the one that deserved it.

So he got the cold fires of determination.

"This duel... it ends this turn," I informed him. "You said it yourself... there are so many different ways to win a war. Assassination. Full on assault. Hit and Run. But me... I so do love taking the heart of my enemy... and crushing it in my fist. The body remains strong but it has no ability to fight a second more. And right now... I'm going to do just that." I held up two cards. "Schools in session.

"First I summon Frequency Magician in attack mode." The mage, wearing an odd outfit even for Duel Monsters, appeared on the field. "He automatically gains a spell counter when he is summoned. "Next I activate the spell card Enydmion's Gatheirng!" The spell, showing Endymion holding out his hand as he stood on the balcony of his tower and calling forth Spell Counters, appeared on the field. "This card allows me to shift all the spell counters I control to one card. I select my Citadel. And now it's time for something... oh so special! SYNCRO SUMMON!"

My Frequency Magician turned into orbs of magic, which rocketed into the air before forming into rings which my Abductor flew into, her own body turning into orbs before creating a line of energy.

"The lessons of Endymion taught my Abductor much but now she must stand on her own two feet, no longer the student of Endymion but as a peer. Behold her final evolution as she gains the right to call herself a magician. Come forth Tempest Magician!"

The fully grown and matured mage appeared on the field, slamming her staff down and causing it to ripple as it turned into a scythe. Her robes were darker, more ornate, showing that she truly had earned her rank.

"And her effect?" I said. "It's a dozy. I now remove EVERY spell counter from my side of the field... and have my Tempest Magician... overload them."

"...what?" Sheppard whispered, his bravado disappearing.

"You heard me. I am overloading the Spell Counters... turning them into bombs that will go off right at you. I don't need to slay your Ogre... what use is that beast when his master is gone! Tempest Magician!" My mage nodded. "Storm of Scythes!" She nodded and spun around to face me, slashing at the spell counters as they raced at her, hacking into them and cracking them as they flew by her and right at Sheppard who could only stand there, staring at me in surprise... before a smile formed on his lips.

"You are as great as I was told," he said just before the first Spell Counter hit. They exploded all around him, sending him flying, the Citadel shaking as every counter detonated. (Sheppard-0000)

The future chancellor of Duel Academy slowly got to his feet, collecting himself... before smiling. "Truly... you are as great as I heard." He smiled and walked up to me, holding out the two locator cards. "I am honored to have dueled you and look forward to dueling you again. You are a master at the bloodless war."

"Thanks," I said.

Renard stepped forward. "Your Order was founded by Endymion of Greece, weren't you?"

My eyes went wide and I slowly turned towards Renard... only to snap my head back as Sheppard smiled and nodded rapidly.

'Aw fuck me!'

~MC~MC~MC~

"To think... to think I forgot all that," Susan whispered. "But now it feels... so clear."

"Yes," Ishizu said with a smile. She had been worried about how the teen would handle the visions she had shown her of Kisara struggling in the market, her meeting with Priest Set, her death to bring forth the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to serve as the eternal protector of the future Pharaoh.

"We... we were robbed of our chance," Susan said, looking down at the table. "But I won't let it happen again."

"I know you won't," Ishizu said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a deck. She had originally planned to give it to Seto Kaiba in thanks for him protecting Obelisk the Tormentor but now... now she knew that he would see it not as a gift to be used wisely but as another weapon to aid him in his foolish attempt to defeat the Nameless Pharaoh. No. Far better to give it to Susan, so she might help awaken in Kaiba his own memories... and let him see his path was not in defeating the Pharaoh but aiding him against the darkness that threatened the world. "Take this. Find him." She handed her also one of her locator cards. "I know you will do well."

"Thank you," Susan said, a smile slowly twisting onto her features. "I know what to do."

Ishizu watched the teen go, satisfied.

~MC~MC~MC~

Susan marched down the street, on a mission. First she needed to get new clothing... if she were to face Seto she must look perfect. Her mind raced with the memories... and her own desires.

Desires that Ishizu hadn't realized had been there before she'd meddled with the teen's mind.

Desires that her parents had worried about and begged her to move on from. Because they couldn't understand that her and Seto were soul mates.

Desires her teachers had scolded her over, seeing them as fantasies. Because they refused to see that when she dreamt of her and Seto together they weren't dreams at all but the two of them meeting on the spiritual plane so they might be together.

Desires her doctors told her could be 'fixed' if she only took the medication to deal with her mood swings and her manic episodes. Because they couldn't see that she and Seto BELONGED together.

But that nice woman Ishizu... had shown her that it was all meant to be.

Susan reached into her pocket, tossing her phone away which was filled with messages from her psychiatrist, begging her to call back and return to the hospital. She ran her fingers through her hair as she threw away the last of her anti-psychotics.

She idly passed by a TV that showed her picture and warned if anyone saw her to stay away, the graphic images of what she had done to one of the other patients with a pair of scissors when they'd DARED to mock her love flashing on the screen, a testament to her love for Seto.

Susan merely grinned as she pulled out her doctor's stolen credit card and headed to get a new outfit...

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