Chaos Effect

Chapter 10 - 10

Chapter 10

Yuri Gardner was dead tired.

And why shouldn't she be dead tired? She'd been up for over 24 hours, been crisscrossing Domino, and had to deal with procedural red tape for the last 3 hours. And the station's coffee maker had decided to go on the fritz meaning she couldn't even get a decent cup-

A large dark green cup with the familiar Ishmael's Logo was plopped down on her desk next to the beat up sad little deck box that held her pathetic half constructed deck. Yuri snatched it up before anyone could even think about taking it away, taking a long guzzle of the life-giving liquid within. Well, life giving for a tired cop.

"Hey kiddo," the Bringer-Of-Coffee said and Yuri looked up from gazing lovingly as her cup. "Heard you've been having a rough night?"

"That's putting it lightly, dad," Yuri said. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking in on you," Ken Gardner said, settling into the chair next to her desk. He was wearing a nice suit, briefcase at his side, and decidedly looking nothing like the cop he had been when she'd been a little kid. He looked just like the suits he'd once complained about that worked in the commissioner's office; which made sense considering he was now one of Commissioner Carey's top men. "Ugh, have these always been so uncomfortable?"

"Yes," Yuri said. "Now, are you here as my dad or for the commissioner?" she asked.

"That's kind of rude, kiddo."

"And you avoid questions when you know people won't like your answer," she pointed out. "So that means you're here for the commissioner." Pulling herself away from her desk she leaned back in her chair and let lose a sigh. "Alright, go ahead. What have I done wrong now?"

"It's not about doing something wrong-" Her father began.

"Dad, cut it out. I don't need the HR speech from you." She sipped on her coffee, letting it slowly get her mind working again. She should have grabbed a few hours of sleep when they were processing the goons they'd scooped up from the Kaiba Estate but she hadn't wanted to risk someone coming in and taking control of her investigation. Some detective with more experience moving to help poor little Yuri who couldn't even stay awake. No, this was her bust and it was a big one and she was keeping her fingers in it like a hawk grabbing a fish. "We both know that you wouldn't be here if I was doing everything right." She paused. "No, I take that back. I am doing everything right but someone doesn't like that because it doesn't look good on the department."

"That's not how it is, Yuri," her father complained.

"You know, you used to actually care about the law before you become the commissioner's spokesman." Her father glowered at her for going to that topic but frankly she didn't care if he saw it as a low blow. "Now all you care about is poll numbers and smoothing things over with the elite."

"That is how we make sure this city functions properly."

"No, that's how you make sure that the norm you long decided was good enough remains the same." Yuri shook her head in disgust. "Come on dad, you used to believe in the law! Before you sold your soul for a fat paycheck."

Her father glowered at her, the good cheer and humor when he'd approached her disappearing. "We're not having this argument again, Yuri."

"Of course we aren't because you've decided that a penthouse is worth more than your dignity."

"No, I care about our family and making sure you girls have a better life."

"You mean Tea getting a better life," Yuri pointed out. "I would have gotten into the academy easily enough. I didn't need you greasing palms to do so... and no, I don't care what you claim or how you try and convince everyone you didn't do that. I know. You never believed in me so you paid people off to get me in." She huffed. "And Tea is stronger than you think... if you told her now that you weren't going to be able to send her to that performance school in New York and that she would need to change her plans she'd understand. Tea isn't a trust fund brat, dad, and she certainly isn't like the children of the scum you worry about playing nice with."

"Yuri, enough," her father said firmly. "We aren't discussing this anymore."

She glared at him before taking her half finished coffee and dumping it in the trash. "Fine. Then I have work to do. And since we both know whatever you came down to discuss has to do with you once more being the lackey of Domino's Elite that means, per your own words, our conversation is over and I need to begin interviewing the men we picked up."

Her father though merely shook his head. "Yuri... you need to let the men go."

"No," she said sternly.

"They are KaibaCorp security-"

"Actually they aren't. I requested records concerning KaibaCorp's security firm and those men aren't actually linked to the company. They are linked to the KaibaCorp's board of directors apparently... but more off the books as far as I can tell. But nothing official."

"The Board is part of KaibaCorp."

"That's like saying their maids work for KaibaCorp," Yuri shot back. "They held Seto Kaiba's servants hostage-"

"A misunderstanding."

"Bull," Yuri snapped. "And before you say that they are going to retract their testimony I already got them on record and had them sign statements." He winced at that and she smirked, enjoying watching him squirm. "Yeah. I know how you work, dad. Heard enough guys bitch about you and I certainly know you'll never do me any favors. So whatever the Big 5 are offering to get them to stay quiet it isn't going to work this time."

"Yuri, please," her father said, his tone softer and more compassionate. "This is something no one wants stirred up. This is the kind of case that must be handled quietly; with subtly to make sure no one gets hurt."

"You are wrong, Mr. Gardner," Kipling Chaos said, rolling his wheelchair over to them. He had surprised Yuri by refusing to leave the station after letting her know about his nephew's message, stating he wanted to stick around. He'd kept out of the way, which was another startling thing as Yuri was used to the rich and powerful that sought out her help forcing themselves into her investigations and generally making themselves utter pests. No, Kipling Chaos had merely been on his phone and the worst he'd asked was where the vending machine was. "It is something I very much want stirred up."

Yuri's father cringed as the media mogul made his presence known. "Sir, I left a message with your secretary... the commissioner would like to meet with you-"

"To try and get me to back off on this?" Kipling asked sternly, his tone nearly as angry as Yuri's. "Maxamillion Pegasus is hunting my nephew, Mr. Gardner. I promised my brother I would look after Edwin and I will NOT fail in that promise. So unless the Carey is going to be willing to a live interview with Geoff Jurgens tonight I don't want to talk with him."

"We aren't discussing Maxamillion Pegasus," her father stated, his tone brokering no argument.

Kipling Chaos didn't care.

"Oh yes, we are. The man kidnapped a child-"

"Mr. Pegasus' lawyers have already met with the commissioner and explained everything." Her father reached into his briefcase and pulling out a statement. "After Seto Kaiba disappeared Mr. Pegasus took it upon himself to bring the boy to his island for his own protection... a child can't be left alone to fend for himself, after all. And Pegasus was a friend of the Kaiba brother's stepfather-"

Kipling pulled out his phone and began to type away. "Please, go on."

"This isn't for you to report," Ken stated. "I am merely letting you know-"

"You know that there isn't actually 'off the record', right? That is just something movies and television shows came up with. Everything is on the record. But don't worry, I'm not going to report this because I'm sure the commissioner is going to release the statement in a few hours when he announces that he's dropping all charges against those men that invaded Seto Kaiba's home and is ending the investigation. But please, continue."

Yuri's father face twisted into a scowl at how he was being dismissed but years of dealing with the rich and powerful allowed him to get right back on track. "Mr. Pegasus felt that it was his duty to see after Mokuba. The young man though..." Yuri's father paused before finally saying, "There is a reason why Seto Kaiba has kept him isolated. The boy has issues... mental ones... that can lead to delusions."

Yuri cut in. "You have proof? And I mean proof that hasn't come from Pegasus? Doctors that aren't on his payroll? Documents he didn't give you?"

"She brings up a good point."

Ken didn't answer. "Your nephew thinks he's doing the right thing but he doesn't realize that all the claims of kidnapping and hostile takeovers are merely the delusions of a sick child."

Kipling raised an eyebrow to that. "Hmmm. And this all came from the man accused of kidnapping Mokuba Kaiba? The same one my nephew states is hunting him?"

"To ensure that Mokuba isn't harmed. Your nephew is in no danger."

"Good friends with Gozaburo Kaiba?"

"Yes," her father said, relieved that Kipling was listening to him.

The head of Chaos Communications passed over his phone, Yuri leaning over to see that it was a Youtube video entitled 'Pegasus Owns KaibaCorp CEO'. "Took a bit of time to find, since this happened before Youtube really was a big thing, but I think if you watch it you'll find Pegasus' opinion on Mr. Kaiba quite clear... they aren't friends." He took back his phone, not even bothering to play the video. "But you've already decided to cover this all up because your masters demand it."

Yuri's father stood up, glaring at the man. "Maxamillion Pegasus is a pillar of Domino society, sir, and I am not going to drag his name through the mud because your nephew fell for a sick boy's delusions. You'd be wise, if you are in contact with him, to tell him to surrender the child before we bring charges up on him."

"And now you are threatening my nephew, a reporter for Chaos Communications, and an American citizen. Oh... please make this an international incident. I will so enjoy reducing you to janitorial work. Tell me is Ken short for something or is that your full name. I want the article on this cover up to be accurate." He snapped a picture before Yuri's father could reaction.

"Delete that now!" the man snarled.

Kippling though merely pocketed the phone. "Please. Assault a man in a wheelchair. Just make your descent into destruction all the quicker."

Ken pulled back, struggling to gain control of his emotions. "You are meddling in things that you don't understand. Drop this now, sir."

"And when Seto Kaiba returns and has issues with you doing the bidding of the Big 5?" Yuri asked.

Her father glared at her, jaw set firm. "Your investigation is over, Yuri."

"You already got my captain to release those men, didn't you?" Yuri asked, unable to even be hurt anymore by her father's actions. "You don't care in the slightest that Tea is on that island, do you? All you care about is your image-"

"Yuri, its done."

"If Tea is hurt it is on your head!"

"Let it go or I swear I will stop protecting you. As for Tea Mr. Pegasus has assured me that he will place her on the first boat off the island. She'll be back her by supper, trust me." He paused. "I understand that you saw this as a way to make your mark but you leapt too quickly and without doing the proper legwork. Let it go so it doesn't affect your career." He reached over and patted her shoulder. "Understand, kiddo?"

"Understood, Mr. Gardner," Yuri said coldly, smacking his hand away.

"Don't," her father snapped. "Petulant isn't a good color for you."

"Should she be corrupt like you?" Kipling asked idly. "Best hurry back to the office... you'll be needing to prepare your statement."

Her father took back the paperwork Pegasus' lawyers had provided, ignoring the threats. "I should warn you that Industrial Illusions will sue you for libel if you report any of this, Mr. Chaos. And you will find no friends in Domino. Not when it comes to the Big 5 or Maxamillion Pegasus. My recommendation is you allow Mr. Pegasus to explain things to your nephew so he can make amends for the false statements he has shared with you. And if you are still in contact with him it is the recommendation of the Domino Police Department that he head to Pegasus' castle and end this fa?ade." Kipling merely let out an amused huff. "Yuri, come over for dinner tonight." It wasn't a request, it was an order, and both knew it.

Yuri stood at her desk for a moment as her father walked away before she growled and began to gather up the paperwork she was working on and stuffing it into her drawers, not even bothering to sort it. Kipling turned his wheelchair to face her. "I assume there is something that was left unsaid that I am missing."

"I am going to be called into my captain's office in a few minutes and told that I am getting a paid vacation. In other words they want me far away while they clean up this mess and make nice with the Big 5."

"And they aren't worried about what will happen if Seto Kaiba returns?"

"He isn't here right now so my father is at the mercy of those that are. Meaning he will bow to the Big 5's wishes. Pegasus' too. If Seto Kaiba returns then they will find a way to apologize to him and assure him they tried to do everything they could. Probably hold up my investigation as proof that they did try and help his brother."

"And he cares nothing about the fact that your sister is on that island as well?"

"You'd be amazed what one is willing to sacrifice just to 'keep the peace'."

Kipling considered that before nodding. "Are you going to see your father tonight? If I can ask?"

"Yes."

"Pity. I was hoping I could convince you to join me for dinner tonight." Yuri looked down at the man but he merely smiled. "I am thinking of taking a trip... not by myself, of course. The Big 5 aren't the only ones with their own private security. And since you have vacation time available, perhaps you'd like to join me? I have my eyes on a certain island..."

Yuri, for the first time since her father had arrived, grinned.

~MC~MC~MC~

One of the nicer things about being stuck in an anime like Yu-Gi-Oh! was that the body types were pretty generic. Heights would be wildly different, hair color and styles were... well, duh, and clothing options were pretty extreme, but body types? You had only a handful for each gender unless you were a completely original character: rail thin, average, overly muscular, or bloated with fat. That was it.

While I wasn't out of shape in the slightest before I had arrived in this world my body had been pretty fit save for the fact that I had a tiny belly on me. No beer gut or anything like that... so long as I didn't take my shirt off everyone just assumed I was thin and trim... but there was still a tiny bit of a muffin top. Though I had decided about a month or so before my arrival to get in better shape. My legs were already perfect runner's legs but I wanted my entire body to match. So I'd taken up speed walking with weight training and begun to burn off some excess weight.

But in this world? In this world I fell into the 'average' body type which meant that my stomach was utterly smooth.

Thus where I might have felt self conscious getting dressed in front of anyone back home here on Duelist Kingdom it was nothing for me to emerge from the bushes after my shower wearing just a pair of blue jeans, toweling my hair dry while the sun beat down on my bare shoulders.

"Morning Edwin!" Mokuba said cheerfully, looking up from the bag of cereal he was happily munching from.

"Hey Mokuba. If you want to go next you can." I jerked my thumb back towards Mai's portable shower was set up.

"Nah, I'm good," he said.

"To be young," I muttered.

"What does that mean?" Mokuba asked.

"When you get a little older and begin to notice girls or boys you'll care how you look and smell," I stated, taking a seat next to him and pulling the bag out of his hands and pouring myself a bowl of frosted wheat bites.

Mokuba wrinkled his nose at that. "No way! Girls are nice and all..."

"Yes, they are," I teased.

"But they won't make me worry about stuff like that!" He paused for a moment, brow screwing up in confusion. "Boys?"

"If that's what floats your boat," I said with a shrug.

Mokuba though just shook his head. "Well, boys or girls, I won't feel the need to impress them. I'm going to be just like my big brother!"

I opened my mouth to counter that only to snap it shut. 'Huh... he does have a point there. I honestly think Seto might be asexual.' I shrugged and went back to my meal. "You'll never know what life might bring. And before you knock it... sometimes it's nice to have people admire how you look."

"Like Mai does?" Mokuba asked, nodding across the camp where Mai had been sitting, working on her deck. Mokuba and I had promised to leave her be, to let her figure out what cards to remove and which ones to add to her deck in peace while we got ready to start our days. Except she had stopped what she was doing and was now openly staring at me. It took several moments for Mai to notice that I had spotted her and she quickly ducked her head away, focusing once more on her deck or doing her best to do so.

"Crud," I muttered to myself, suddenly realizing that my prancing about half naked might not have been the best idea.

"What's wrong?" Mokuba asked.

"Nothing," I stated, setting my bowl down and going over to my suitcase to pick out a shirt. "Shirt shirt shirt shirt shirt," I muttered to myself. Grabbing a steel-gray colored one I yanked it on before turning and unbuttoning my pants and tucking the shirt in before slipping a belt on and working on getting my socks and shoes on. My hoodie was draped over the log Mokuba was sitting on, waiting for me to grab it when needed.

"Adults are weird," Mokuba muttered.

"Yup," I admitted as I tugged on my socks and grabbed my hiking boots. "It's the great curse of humanity... we all tend to think those older than us are stupid and annoying and don't understand things... and we're doomed to end up growing up to become them. The kid who gets annoyed by his teenage sibling not wanting to play anymore becomes the one staring at the mirror working on their hair. We become the overbearing parents, the unhip 40 year olds, the crotchety old men who want the kids off our lawns. Such is life." Grabbing my Tigers cap (because no matter what Michigan had to be represented... even if at this point the Old English D was one of the most classic baseball caps one could wear I did it out of homeland pride) I checked to make sure that the solar battery I'd plugged my phone into during the night had charged it fully before pocketing it and my ear buds before setting out to get packed up. "Put any thought yet into what kind of deck you want to use?"

Now it was Mokuba's turn to shrug but it wasn't a dismissive one, nor was it one of boredom. Rather it was... well, it was hard to put into words. In fact that might be the best way to describe it: Mokuba didn't know how to put his thoughts to words so instead he conveyed it all with a shrug. "A bit? I guess I know what I don't want to use?"

"That's a great start," I said. "Eliminate choices... makes it easier to sort through things."

Looking relieved at that he said, "Well, I don't think I want to use Spellcasters." His eyes went wide. "I don't mean anything about that-"

"Mokuba, it's fine," I reassured him as I went through all the books I'd brought and made sure I had them all. Which was a bit stupid as I dimly remembered that I was now a millionaire thanks to Seto and could afford to buy new ones... or an entire book store... "Not everyone likes using Spellcasters. I get it. Heck, if it weren't for Endymion I probably wouldn't use Spellcasters myself."

"You would use a different type of deck?" Mokuba asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Duelists always think about that... come up with other options, experiment, even if it is just to prove they were right with their main deck."

"He's right," Mai said, walking over to join us. She tossed her own coat over my hoodie and took a seat. "Look, I might be a Harpie Deck user but I've thought of other decks that I'd like to try out and know ones I would never, ever touch."

"Like?" Mokuba pressed, clearly interested.

She considered for a moment. "Warriors," she final said and I ducked my head to hide my smile. Said smile only grew all the more as she continued. "But not those ugly things that so many little boys want to use because it makes them look tough. A band of warriors who are skilled and cunning and know how to fight..." She scowled. "And no ninjas."

"Bad experience?" I asked.

As for Pegasus he could understand why he would go into such a partnership, now that he understood exactly what the owner of Industrial Illusions hoped to gain. The ability to influence the minds of the world... Seto had to admit it was a grand temptation. Except... where was the thrill in victory if your opponent merely gave up? It was the same reason why Seto was always seeking out stronger opponents to challenge himself against... the desire to prove he deserved to be the best because he defeated the best. Controlling the world that way... that was simply boring. He would have thought Pegasus, with his own flamboyant nature, would be against such things as well but just looking at Duelist Kingdom showed that he loved control just as much as a challenge.

So he could understand many things. But the one thing he couldn't?

'Why does that prancing fool have an English medieval castle on an island in the Pacific?!' He shook his head in disgust. 'Wasting his wealth like that... how utterly foolish. I'd never waste money on such things!'

~MC~MC~MC~

I suddenly looked up as I chased after the boy I was sure more and more was an Eliminator and mouthed, "Bullshit" though I had no idea way.

~MC~MC~MC~

Yugi paused his search for the missing Joey, looked towards Pegasus' castle... and felt both himself and the Spirit of the Puzzle roll their eyes, not knowing why.

~MC~MC~MC~

Joey woke up with a start, the words, "Seriously?!?" on his lips though he had no idea...oh, you know.

~MC~MC~MC~

Seto gripped the suitcase that contained his Duel Disc system and made his way up the final steps of the castle's great stairway to the great wooden doors that separated him from the man that had tried to take his company, had kidnapped his brother, and tried to have him killed. But rather than the guards he expected or even one of Pegasus' servants the man himself was calmly waiting for him. He stood there with his hands folded in front of him, a slight smile on his face, looking like he was waiting to welcome Seto in for a lovely Christmas vacation.

"Ah, Seto Kaiba... I assumed you'd be here sooner," Pegasus said with a smile. "Though I am pleased that you decided to come at a reasonable hour. I so do hate being woken up from my beauty's rest. It is so very important to get the proper amount of sleep."

"And looking at you it is clear you need all the beauty rest you can get."

Pegasus placed a hand on his chest. "You wound me, Kaiba!"

"Believe me, if I wounded you... you'd now it."

"Why so much anger, Kaiba? Is it because I am trying to take over your company? Considering how YOU came to claim the company it is almost a tradition that one commit a hostile takeover." He smirked, shutting his eyes. "But I don't plan on taking the Kaiba name like you did. I much prefer Pegasus." He paused, lips pressing into a thin line. "You know, I did much research on you Kaiba-Boy. I know more about you than you might know about yourself. But I never could figure out what your name was before you became Seto Kaiba. I don't suppose you'd be willing to satisfy my curiosity...?"

Seto merely glowered at him.

"Oh, you simply are no fun," Pegasus complained. "One would think that a child billionaire obsessed with games of both the video and card variety would have a better developed sense of humor."

"I'm not one for cheap amusement, Pegasus. Especially with people that try to kidnap my brother!" He took a step forward only for two red dots to appear on his chest, making him pause.

"Don't worry, that's merely my passive defense security system. It won't harm you in the slightest but it will ensure that you don't harm my fabulous person."

~MC~MC~MC~

Once more I felt the eager to mutter 'bullshit!'. "What the hell is going on?" I muttered.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Is that what you've been reduced to Pegasus? Cowering behind machines rather than face challengers head on?"

The creator of Duel Monsters merely gave a slight, 'what are you going to do' shrug. "It is a precaution one must sometimes resort to, sadly. I do so wish the world were a kind, pleasant place where all feuds and fights were settled with card games but, sadly, that is not the world we live in."

~MC~MC~MC~

'Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!' I mentally exclaimed before my eyes went wide. "What the hell is happening to me? Am I having a stroke?!?"

~MC~MC~MC~

"For example," Pegasus continued, "when a certain nosey little mouse decides to wander into the cat's cage and try and sneak away with the cheese." He flashed a condescending smile. "You are the mouse in this scenario-"

"I gathered as much," Seto said dryly, remembering once more why he'd always hated dealing with Pegasus... or people in general. They were a waste of time, blathering on about meaningless things, wanting to debate topics that didn't matter, clinging to events and emotions that mattered little in the grand scheme of things. "Let me make this entirely clear, Pegasus: you kidnapped my brother, tried to kill me, and nearly took over my company. You've failed on all three parts. But I'll give you a chance to actually try and achieve your goal, though it is the smallest of chances in the world." He pointed right at the man that had become the bane of his existence. "You and I are going to have a duel and finally settle this once and for all!"

"...no."

Seto blinked at that, slowly lowering his arm. "What?"

"No. It's a simple word, Kaiba... perhaps the simplest work in the English language. And here I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"What do you mean, no? Are... are you afraid to face me? Is that it? Only able to match me in a test of skill when you've used every trick and cheat to improve your chances."

Pegasus though merely guffed at that. "My my my don't we have an over-developed sense of self-worth?" He smirked and shook his head. "No Kaiba, I am saying no to many things. First that I have failed at anything. Your brother remains a prisoner on my island. Your company is as good as mine. And I wasn't the one to try and kill you so you can't truly pin that on me. That is far too messy for my tastes."

"And my challenge?"

"I've taken inspiration from someone."

"Who?"

"A mutual friend: Edwin Chaos."

Seto ground his teeth together at the mention of the man that was guarding Mokuba.

"You have met him, haven't you? I assume he still is in possession of Mokuba? His idea?" Pegasus laughed lightly before Seto could speak. "Of course it was. You wanted him with you when you went marching up here but Eddie-Boy... he talked you out of it. I have met many people, Kaiba, and I must say there is no one quite like him. He is a scoundrel and a cheat with the brightest code of honor. A white knight in the blackest armor." He taped his chin before he finished poetically, "He is the Guardian Devil." He smiled, rather pleased with the term. "Yes. That is the perfect title for this. The Guardian Devil. And when one such as I encounters a man like that one can't help but be... inspired. Edwin Chaos takes nothing at face value and does not accept the norms and rules the way the rest of us do. As such I think I will emulate him and inform you that, no, I won't be accepting your challenge just because you made it."

"And what will the Big 5 think when they find out that you cowered when issues a challenge?" Seto demanded with a smug grin. "Like you said, they are all about power... and I don't think it's going to look to well for you to run back into your gaudy castle rather than face me."

"Oh Kaiba-Boy... how can someone so brilliant be so stupid at the same time?" Pegasus brushed a few strands of hair from his right eye. "I am not accepting your challenge because you do not have any power here, despite what you may think. You are not the one in control of things; I am. If you wish to face me you are going to have to play by my rules." He snapped his fingers and from the castle came a servant carrying a small black and silver case, roughly the size of a toaster. "Normally it would be too late for you to enter my tournament but I do believe I will be willing to make an exception for you." The servant opened the case to reveal a dueling glove and 2 star Star Chips. "You will need to collect 10 Star Chips, same as anyone else, in order to be allowed into my castle. Should you manage to be the first then you will earn the right to challenge me right then and there. After that you will need to compete with 3 others for the other spot to claim the prizes. Be too slow and..." he chuckled, "I think you can imagine what will happen then."

Seto walked forward, his steps measured and body tense as he reached out and snatched the box from the servant. "Then you'd best prepare to face me Pegasus because there is no one on this island that will keep me from seeing you pay for all you have done."

"Yes yes, of course. I so do get tired of these proclamations to see me pay for what I've done. When you've heard one you've heard them all. I won't leave you a second longer." With that he turned and gave a cheeky little way. "See you soon, Kaiba-Boy."

'Yes,' Seto thought to himself as the castle shut up tight, 'you will, Pegasus. And when you do you'll pay for all you've done!'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Why are we doing this?" Mokua whispered as we followed at the kid. We'd been walking for 15 minutes, which was yet another checkmark in the box proving this was all a scam, and I could tell that Mokuba was getting tired and thus frustrated. "We know it's a trap... so why do this?"

"Do you know what you do when there is an obvious trap?" I smirked. "Spring it."

"Why? Isn't this what you warned my brother not to do?"

"I warned him not to take an unneeded risk. This is me realizing we have little choice in the matter. If we run he'll just chase after us and we can't run forever. But Pegasus has honor, weirdly enough, and he's not going to send all the Eliminators after us while we duel this kid. Especially not when Yugi and your brother are still out there. So we are going to duel this kid. At worst we are buying time for Yugi and Joey to win and your brother to figure out how to deal with Pegasus. Speaking of you hold onto my suitcase, okay? My extra Star Chips are in there."

"How many do you have?" Mokuba asked.

"All together? Nine."

"You... what?!?"

"Shh!"

Mokuba, in a softer voice, said, "You have nine Star Chips? You... you are one away from earning a spot!"

"Yeah. But you are more important right now so screw the tournament."

He grew quiet at that, clearly stricken by the fact that I had chosen to protect him over fame and glory. We chased after the kid leading us on his merry little run for five minutes until Mokuba finally spoke up again. "How did you know he was a fake? Oh! Is it because of being from another dimension?"

"No," I admitted. "I've never seen him before. But now that you say that..." Out loud I called out, "Okay kid... let's drop the act!"

"What?" the boy said, coming to a halt. "What are you-"

"I know you are really an Eliminator trying to get me out of this tournament. You wanted to drag me away from any help while you activated whatever plan you have in mind. So stop wasting my time and get with the villain speech, runt."

The kid turned towards us and stared for a moment before a cruel little smile formed on his lips, the smugness of it all completely altering his looks from frightened child to demented tiny monster. "I suppose it would do no good to try and convince you otherwise, would it?"

"None," I said, folding my arms over my chest.

"How did you figure me out? Usually I can get away with that cutsey kid crap for far longer."

'Well, you're dressed like Kit Cloudkicker and ever new character I've dueled on this island has been based on Tale Spin characters,' I mentally thought to myself even as aloud I stated, "Your story. You tried to play upon my savior complex, used that Big Brother rule I told Mokuba about. It was far too convenient. You'd have been better off claiming you were the son of one of the servants. Dress yourself up, say you'd gotten lost, lure us towards the castle. This was just sloppy, lazy work."

"Nothing I do is sloppy. It got you here, didn't it?"

"Because I let you lead us here," I replied. "Also I was there when Pegasus did his big speech... there weren't any kids around so claiming you were here with your big brother? Strike 2. But unlike baseball I didn't need another one. So... like I said do the villain speech already."

"Then let me introduce myself," the kid said, his grin growing all the wider and he began to tilt his head to the right while his left shoulder slumped slightly, giving him a hunch-back quality. "My name is Bruno Hadrian... and I think I'm going to be the one that ends everything for you. Your time on this island, with Mokuba... existing."

"Cute," I said with a scoff. "Well Bruno, what is it you've been scheming to do? Because I doubt you had us run all the way out here just for the foliage."

The young Eliminator was all teeth and no comfort as he merely crooked his finger, motioning for us to follow. I shot a look at Mokuba who scowled at the kid before he let out a sigh and nodded, agreeing that we did have to see what Bruno was up to.

It turned out had I made him stop rather close to our final destination, just about a minute's walk, actually. Making our way around a bend I came to a stop upon seeing a deep gorge that I was pretty sure hadn't existed on any map of Duelist Kingdom I'd ever seen. It was the classic Jumanji-style canyon with pacific vegetation forming a great green swatch down below while two huge stone walls jutted up, forming the landmass we were all standing on. The only way across was a metal bridge and I had to admit I was surprised that it wasn't a wooden rope bridge that would have perfectly fit the stereotype of the land around us. But looking over the bridge it was easy for me to see why it had been built, for there were two dueling platforms near the center and projectors that jutted out from the sides like cat whiskers.

"This will be the sight of your final defeat, Edwin Chaos!" Bruno declared. "You and I will duel upon this bridge to determine the fate of Mokuba Kaiba. And your fate as well, for-"

"Let me guess," I said, cutting the half-pint off. "Every time I lose lifepoints a bit of the bridge will collapse and as such if I hit zero my half will collapse and sending me plunging down to the valley below."

"No... of course not," Bruno said with stuttering laughter.

"Uh huh." Mentally I said, '3...2...1...'

"This valley is a focal point... a weak spot in the barrier between our world and what Pegasus has discovered is the SHADOW REALM!" He giggled, running his fingers over his jaw and mouth. "When you lose you will be plunged into that dark abyss, never to return!"

"And there it is," I muttered.

Bruno began to walk towards the bridge. "So make your goodbyes to Mokuba now because-" He stopped, which didn't surprise me because he must have turned and realized that Mokuba and I were walking away. "Where... where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. This is stupid. Come on Mokuba, let's go have an early lunch."

"What?" Bruno said, startled, his 'I am Damien Meets The Joker' bit cracking slightly. "What do you mean you are leaving?"

"I am leaving. I'm not doing this. Thanks but no thanks. Have a great day."

I continued on, listening with quiet amusement as Bruno began to storm back towards up, actually darting around and jabbing his finger at me. I honestly couldn't help but wonder if he was supposed to have a gun or if he was just an arrogant little brat.

"You can not walk away from me! I've challenged you and-"

"Yes, and I can refuse the challenge. This ain't Pokemon no matter how much you look like a bug catcher." Bruno jabbed me in the stomach with his fingers and I waited a moment before casually pushing him aside. "I'm afraid of heights and I have a little issue with needlessly dying. So while you probably put a ton of work into this... thanks, but no thanks."

"You... you are a coward!" Bruno taunted.

"Yeah, I am. But to quote a wise robot... sometimes... cowards survive." I turned and gave a twirling salute with my fingers, bowing slightly, before returning back onto the path.

"You can't do this!"

"I can and have!" I called back.

"You will duel me!" Bruno roared, rushing and moving to grab Mokuba. But Seto's brother was a slippery one and he easily leapt out of Bruno's grip. "You will face me right now or be eliminated form this tournament!"

"Show me where it says I have to face you on a death trap," I challenged. "I'll wait." Bruno just glowered at me and finally I rolled my eyes. "Listen buster... you want to prove yourself and take me down? We do it on a normal dueling platform. Otherwise I am leaving."

The kid was quiet for several moments but sure enough he let out a bellow of frustration. "FINE! We'll duel on another platform!" He began to rub his hands together as he walked away from us. "I have no need to send you plunging to your death..."

"So... knowing my luck this little idiot is going to be my rival," I muttered to Mokuba.

Mokuba snickered.

Yet another ten minutes went by before we finally made it to another dueling platform. "Here... this will do nicely. Very nicely indeed!" Bruno declared... before throwing back his head and laughing.

I looked at Mokuba and, seeing him looking just as annoyed as I was, began to wonder what it said that the pre-teen was the only sane one besides me on the island. Or that I had the same opinion of someone who didn't even want to look at a boob let alone touch one.

"So what's the catch with this one?" I asked.

"No catch... no catch at all," Bruno said, once more doing that... creepy yet also stupid head-tilt-thing. I got the impression he was trying to make it seem like he was some demented madman.

'No, wait, let's try that again: he is a demented madman he's just very very stupid,' I thought to myself.

"So no catch," I stated as I walked over towards the platform.

"None at all... unless you can't stand the HEAT of battle!"

I promptly turned and walked back to Mokuba. "Fire jets? Did that one with PaniK." I looked at my watch. "So listen want to stop and do brunch, Mokuba? Normally I don't go for that but I seem to have some time on my hands."

"I could snack," Mokuba said with a shrug.

"What are you doing?!" Bruno complained.

"Getting stuck in a comedy bit, apparently!" I called back as me and Mokuba began to unzip my backpack and look for what sounded good to eat.

"Stop making a mockery of dueling!" Bruno complained.

"Stop trying to kill me with death traps you little idgit!" I fired back.

"...fine, I'll take you to yet another platform!" With that Bruno began to march away.

"If this is another death trap platform I'm going to just walk away again!" I called out... and the Eliminator turned and made off in a different direction. "This is going to be a long day," I muttered.